Police: Ex-senator's brother impersonated a cop

8/9/2013

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown’s brother has been charged with impersonating a police officer after authorities say he stopped boaters off the Connecticut coast and had a bulletproof vest with a Transportation Security Administration badge attached to it.

Bruce W. Browne, 46, of Wolcott, stopped three vessels on Long Island Sound on Thursday and asked boaters for their registrations and safety certificates, state police said today. In his car, Browne had three loaded handguns, handcuffs and the vest, which was marked “police” and had the TSA badge attached, authorities said.

Wolcott Chief Edward Stephens said Browne is the Massachusetts Republican politician’s brother. It was unclear why their last names are spelled differently.

A listing for Bruce Browne went unanswered.

Scott Brown did not immediately return a message left by The Associated Press, but he told WCVB-TV that he is estranged from Browne, who has a different mother, and last saw him at their father’s funeral in December.

“If you know of me, my mom and dad were married and divorced four times each, and I lived in 17 houses by the time I was 18, and (we had a) different mom, and throughout our lives we were not very close,” Brown said.

Browne also was charged with breach of peace, interfering with a police officer and possession of a dangerous weapon. He was released on $50,000 bond and is due back in court on Aug. 22.

Police say a resident reported that a man wearing military-type clothing was walking with a gun in Old Lyme and was seen earlier in the day with a vehicle that looked like a police car.

Police later found a blue Ford Crown Victoria. Browne, wearing blue pants, said he owned the vehicle and admitted he had been walking with a black nylon gun belt with a loaded pistol in the holster, police said.

Police say Browne had commandeered a boat by identifying himself as a “police Coast guard official.” Browne also had an expired Coast Guard identification card, which had been issued to him when he was a reserve member of the Coast Guard.

Browne is not presently affiliated with the Coast Guard or TSA, police said.

Coast Guard officials are investigating similar incidents, police said.

In 2010, Scott Brown was a Republican state senator when he upset Democratic state Attorney General Martha Coakley in the election to replace the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. Brown lost the seat in November to Democrat Elizabeth Warren.