When a case goes to a jury — it’s in their hands and it’s their decision.
So said police Chief Kevin Hale Thursday morning, when asked to react to yesterday’s not guilty verdict in the larceny case against Officer Mustafa Salahuddin.
“I wasn’t surprised by it. I’m not an attorney, but if you ask a prosecutor or an attorney, when you get in front of a jury, you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” Hale said.
“Both sides, I know, thought they put on a good case. My feeling, and I maintained it from the start — officers should be held to a higher standard. I did what I did based on what I saw.”
Hale testified during Salahuddin’s three-day misdemeanor trial that he watched a surveillance video that showed Salahuddin steal a coiled, 75-foot hose from the police department in May 2008.
Hale asked the state police to investigate. They eventually sought an arrest warrant for Salahuddin.
“I’m clear that if I didn’t take some type of action to look into that, then I wasn’t doing my job. Faced with those circumstances today, I would do the same thing.” Hale said.
However, Salahuddin and his attorney believe the larceny charge was trumped up and used to try to force Salahuddin out of the department.
Rob Serafinowicz, Salahuddin’s attorney, said repeatedly in court that Hale favors some officers over others. The rules are enforced for some, but not for others, Serafinowicz said.
“This wasn’t about me versus him (Salahuddin),” Hale said. “The attorney tried to make it that way. But that certainly wasn’t why I did this. I couldn’t order the state police to do anything. I requested an investigation and they agreed.”
Outside court Wednesday, Salahuddin repeated information that he said from the witness stand, that he was targeted because he often complained about working conditions in the department — that he was a guy other officers would go to with complaints.
Hale said there are no complaints from the union.
“Listen, he prevailed. He was found not guilty. That is the system that we have. I cannot argue that. We move on,” Hale said.
