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Former BPD detective sentenced for making false statements to TSA

BOSTON — A former Boston Police Sergeant Detective was sentenced on Wednesday in federal court in Boston for repeatedly making false statements so that he could fly armed on personal trips and enable a friend to fly with him without being screened by TSA at Logan Airport.

Bruce E. Smith, 53, of Randolph, was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a fine of $7,500.

In September 2017, Smith agreed to plead guilty to three counts of making false statements to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Department of Homeland Security and one count of unlawfully entering a secure airport area.

Smith also agreed to resign from the Boston Police Department.

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Between May 2011 and April 2017, Smith flew armed on approximately 28 separate flights departing from Logan Airport even though he was not on official business, which constitutes as a violation of federal law.

On each of these trips, Smith falsely claimed that he had obtained approval from his supervisor for his travel.

On at least two of those trips, he escorted or attempted to escort a friend through Logan without going through security screenings. he falsely claimed his friend was a "dignitary" under his official police escort.

When questioned by TSA officials, Smith told them "I am not at liberty to divulge that information."

Smith's friend, who has a criminal record, was not in fact a "dignitary", but rather a mobile clinic operator.

Smith was employed by the Boston Police Department in 1989 and most recently served as a Sergeant Detective assigned to District E-13, Jamaica Plain, as a district detective supervisor.

The investigation into this case was conducted by BPD's Anti-Corruption Division and DHS-OIG.