Brickbat: 'Limited Value'

Seattle interim Police Chief Sue Rahr has fired Officer Daniel Auderer, the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, for "cruel comments and callous laughter" while speaking to another officer about a civilian death. Officer Kevin Dave reached speeds of up to 74 mph while responding to an overdose call, but he "chirped" his siren instead of running it continuously. He struck and killed graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula in a crosswalk in an area where the speed limit is 25 mph. Auderer was caught by his own bodycam in a phone conversation with union President Mike Solan in which Auderer laughed and called Kandula a "regular person" whose life had "limited value." The King County Prosecutor's Office declined to file criminal charges against Dave, saying it "lacks sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Kevin Dave was impaired by drugs or alcohol, driving in a reckless manner, or driving with disregard for the safety of others."