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New Photos Show Nashville Mayor With Bodyguard During Affair

New Photos Show Nashville Mayor With Bodyguard During Affair
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A new photo, discovered by NewsChannel 5 Investigates, shows Nashville's mayor on a taxpayer-funded trip to Paris with the police bodyguard with whom she was having an affair.

Barry was attending a conference last October focusing on urban issues.

And other photos show the two of them in New York last July, taking a tour during a leadership conference. On that day, police sergeant Rob Forrest charged taxpayers for a full day, plus five hours overtime.

Forrest retired effective this week.

But his former boss, Chief Steve Anderson, insisted that he does not believe that taxpayer money has been misspent.

"I don't know that there has been any impropriety in terms of the overtime that we're speaking of," Anderson told NewsChannel 5 Investigates.

"Obviously, there was some improprieties in their personal lives. But in terms of the security detail, I don't have any reason to believe that there was any abuse of the overtime, that the hours reported were in fact hours worked."

When Barry admitted the affair Wednesday to NewsChannel 5, she insisted that she relied on Anderson's advice in the use of security.

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"The detail security policy is set by the police department. They say I have to travel with security," Barry said.

NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked, "It's their decision or your decision?"

"It's their decision," she insisted.

Anderson said that does reflect his advice.

"My position, policy -- whatever you would like to term it -- is that the mayor should always have at least one person," the chief said.

"I am really not satisfied with having one person. But, in these times, it's our duty to protect the mayor. Mayor's aren't expendable."

Ever since Barry's election, she's kept a busy schedule -- day and night.

And Forrest was frequently there at taxpayer expense -- even earning overtime on a night her schedule shows a "private appointment."

We asked, "So if she goes out for a private dinner, does she need a sworn police officer with her?"

"You know," Anderson responded, "we've sort of drawn the line there. I've left that up to this mayor and the previous mayor.

"But my view is the mayor is never at a private function basically outside their own home. they are always the mayor wherever they go."

Then, there are the foreign trips, like the trip to France with several other city officials.

Does she need Metro police security when she's traveling to other cities?

"I think so, I think so," the chief answered. "That would be my preference. Anytime she is representing the city, I feel obligated to have security with her."

What about in Europe?

"It would be the same. I wouldn't draw the line at the county line or at the state line or even at the United States line."

Last September, Barry and Forrest traveled alone to Greece for a week where Barry attended the Athens Democracy Forum.

They stayed in a luxury boutique hotel, called Pallas Athena, where taxpayers picked up Forrest's expenses.

It appears the couple stayed two extra nights, although it's not clear who picked up the tab.

NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked, "Did you approve the trips to Greece for example?"

"I didn't personally approve them," Anderson said. "I would approve of them and I do approve of them."

He added, "Knowing what I know now, I may not have approved the personnel that accompanied her on those trips. But I would approve and somewhat insist that someone be with her."

Our investigation also discovered that, in calendar year 2017, Sergeant Forrest billed taxpayers for 1,262 hours of overtime.

That's the equivalent of 32 extra work weeks.

It brought him $50,000.

The other three members of the mayor's security detail got paid $30,000 dollars combined.