SEATTLE — A Seattle police officer has been placed on administrative leave after he reportedly made racist comments while off-duty last year, according to Chief Adrian Diaz.
Diaz said he listened to an audio recording of the incident Friday morning and that a bias/hate complaint was filed with the Office of Police Accountability (OPA).
"While I’m grateful the complaint was filed with OPA, not knowing about this for one year causes me concern. For this reason, I have instructed my staff to review this officer’s arrest and investigation history," Diaz said. "Although I will ultimately defer, as I am required, to the outcome of OPA’s investigation, racist language is completely unacceptable and is inconsistent with the high standards the department sets for its employees."
Diaz ended his statement by saying he and the entire police department "deeply apologize" to the person who was subjected to the racist comments.
"We clearly have more work to do to build trust between the department and the people we serve," Diaz said.
On Friday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell issued a statement supporting Diaz's decision to place the officer on leave.
"While City law prevents me from commenting on the details of the event undergoing OPA investigation, racism has no place in our police department and in our city," Harrell wrote in the statement.
Harrell wrote that this latest incident "comes at a time when AAPI communities in Seattle and around the country have seen an unacceptable increase in hate-filled attacks."
"I understand and recognize the community outrage – and disappointment – that recent incidents have inspired. Our police service is responsible for helping keep our communities safe by responding when hate crimes occur – but that can’t happen when trust with those communities has been eroded," he wrote. "That’s why incidents like this demand a response that reflects our shared values and commitment to delivering public safety for everyone.”
Michael Itti, Executive Director of CISC, a non-profit that provides services and addresses anti-Asian hate connected the person on the receiving end of the officer’s comments with an attorney. The organization then filed a complaint against the officer on their behalf to the Office of Police Accountability last week.
“We work with folks who are limited English proficient, who have different cultural backgrounds. They might not be aware of how to access different resources so it's really important to know that these people are not alone,” Itti said.
This comes less than two weeks since a video was released of Seattle Police Officer Daniel Auderer, vice president of the Seattle Police Officer's Guild, making controversial comments about a deadly crash involving a 23-year-old woman.
On Jan. 23, Auderer's conversation with union President Mike Solan was recorded on video after Auderer was dispatched following a deadly collision. The collision involved another officer who struck and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula, while he was responding to an emergency.
In the video, Auderer said "Yeah, just write a check. $11,000. She was 26 anyways. She had limited value."
In a letter to the OPA, Auderer explained he was not making fun of the death but instead mocking the callousness of the legal system.
“I was shocked that it happened a year ago and why are we just now finding out about it? Why are we just now finding about all the stories?,” said Victoria Beach, chair of SPD’s African American Community Advisory Council.
Beach said she’s losing faith after the latest controversy.
“I really don't know what I'm going to do now because I can't stand behind the police department that I'm trying to help bridge the gap in and build bridges when this keeps happening. But on the other hand, I'm glad they're being exposed,” Beach said.
This is the latest incident involving the department this year. In March, Detective “Cookie” Bouldin filed a $10 million claim against the city, alleging racial and gender discrimination at the department. In July, body camera footage from 2021 was brought to light, showing a mock tombstone for a teen killed in a shootout with police, displayed in the east precinct's break room.
Less than two weeks ago, video was released of a detective joking about a woman who was hit and killed by another officer back in January.
“There appears to be a series of incidents that are taking place that show that there is a culture of bias and discrimination at Seattle Police Department that needs to be addressed,” said Rev. Patricia L. Hunter, co-chair of the Seattle Community Police Commission.
Hunter said the Community Police Commission called on Chief Diaz to also place Officer Auderer on administrative leave and wants Chief Diaz to convene a work group to look at the culture within the department.
“These individuals that are sworn officers to protect us. Some of them are individuals that we have to protect ourselves from,” Hunter said.
Both Hunter and Beach note these incidents also impact the officers on duty and the recruits waiting to start their time on the force.
“It impacts other police officers who just want to do their jobs and are committed to doing their jobs and they end up being painted with that broad brush of racism and bias and other types of discrimination,” Hunter said.