Police Captain: 'We're Not Above the Law'

The case has been tough, there's no doubt about it.

Yet despite that reality, Bedford Police Capt. Daniel Douidi says he and fellow officers have known from early in the investigation into a Friday night hit and run that they must uphold the law, no matter where the evidence led.

The trail, in fact, led them to the door of Stephen Coco, a 17-year veteran of the Manchester Police Department.

Tuesday, Bedford Police, in conjunction with the Hillsborough County Attorney's Office, announced the arrest of Coco, 41, a Bedford resident, who was a sergeant with the Manchester PD special investigations unit prior to being fired Monday.

Coco is accused of hitting two Bedford teenagers Friday night in an undercover vehicle and then fleeing the scene. He lives roughly a mile from the location of the incident and was off-duty at the time of the crash, according to Hillsborough County Attorney Patricia LaFrance.

He has been formally charged with two felony counts of conduct after an accident.

"It does hurt that it's one of our own, but you have to put away the fact that he's a cop because I have kids of my own and you have to think about the victims and the victims' families," said Douidi, who added that he knows Coco well.

"It is a black eye, there's no doubt about it," he continued. "When I first heard it, it was disturbing, very disturbing. There's no room for that in law enforcement. All the good stuff we do, now that takes a back seat in the eyes of the public to this, and it's going to take us awhile to earn that trust back."

Douidi says Manchester Police Chief David Mara – who is also a Bedford resident – and others in his department have been very cooperative with Bedford PD's investigation.

"We all understand that's not what law enforcement is about. That's uncalled for. It's disturbing. We're not above the law. If anything, we're held to a higher standard," said Douidi.

LaFrance, a longtime assistant county attorney prior to winning the top spot in 2012, expressed a similar sentiment during Tuesday's press conference, saying she and investigators have handled the case like any other.

To avoid the appearance of conflict, however, LaFrance said she will turn the case over to another county attorney for prosecution.

Still, the case, she noted, has and will continue to be focused on finding justice for the victims.

"We investigated it like we would any other conduct after an accident allegation of this matter," she said. "In terms of commenting on how painful it is for me, it's painful for me anytime children are injured, or young men are injured, whether it's in this manner or any other manner ... the first concern I had was for the welfare of these boys."

Both victims have been released from the hospital and are recovering from their injuries. One suffered a concussion with bleeding on the brain and the other a broken elbow.

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