Keith Hahn is also the Democratic chairman.
EDISON -- An internal affairs investigation concluded that a patrolman in the Edison Police Department -- who is also the town's Democratic chairman -- did not violate regulations during his encounters with a political foe.
Keith Hahn was exonerated on most charges, one was unfounded, and others were not investigated because they didn't bear on his job as a cop, according to IA documents released last month.
"When you are honest and act with good intentions as I did, you tend not to worry much as the truth always comes out eventually," Hahn said in an email.
He was accused by Anthony Russomanno, a mayoral aide and political enemy, of a variety of misdeeds in uniform. The tiff flared out into the open during the Democratic committee election earlier this year, when Hahn said Russomanno's daughter was improperly serving as a Democratic Party committeewoman, even though she lived in Florida.
Russomanno filed a complaint with town and county authorities. Among the charges: Hahn showed up to his home while in uniform to complain about a hiring policy; filed invasive Open Public Records Act requests for personal information; and stalked Russomanno's daughter. Russomanno also said someone was impersonating him on the NJ.com forums with the username "PizzaTodayFellas."
Russomanno declined to comment Saturday, saying his family was looking to put the episode behind them.
The first complaint was not sustained, meaning that the investigation couldn't prove or disprove the incident occurred. Hahn was exonerated of the OPRA complaint, meaning he followed departmental procedure and was within his legal rights. The stalking claim was unfounded, meaning it did not occur. And the impersonation claim was not investigated because whether or not it occurred, it was not illegal or against policies.
The accusations predate Hahn's election to the Democratic chairmanship earlier this year, as well as Russomanno's ascendance to the role of the Democratic council campaign's chairmanship.
It makes for awkward bedfellows: two town employees trying to get Democrats elected while also taking each other down. Hahn has called for Russomanno to be fired from Mayor Thomas Lankey's administration.
Most recently, after briefly pretending they were going to get along, Russomanno and Hahn squabbled over Donald Trump.
Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
