FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy has been arrested on a number of charges.
Forty-seven-year-old Albury Burrows was taken into custody Monday night while he was on the job at Port Everglades and faced a judge on Tuesday.
According to BSO, Burrows had helped the head of a drug organization avoid detection and arrest by deputies. The organization was dealing in heroine and cocaine.
Burrows had several conversations with accused drug dealer Jeffrey Baisden, 47, whom he referred to as his cousin, according to the arrest affidavit. The deputy gave the accused dealer advice on how to talk to detectives and avoid surveillance.
Burrows would also search the law enforcement database for Baisden, according to the affidavit.
Burrows has been with BSO since 1999.
The affidavit said that when Baisden called Burrows to say that his home was searched, the deputy urged him to ask, “‘Why? ‘Cause I’m black?’ It’s time to throw that out there. ‘Because I’m black, that’s why you come at me?’ Let BSO give $100 to shut the [expletive] up.”
After searching a database for Baisden, Burrows said, “Let me go out here and pretend like I’m doing some work for these crackers.”
He faces a list of charges including tampering with evidence, racketeering, fabricating evidence, lying to authorities, conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering and tampering or harassing a witness.
“You’re being held on eight counts. Number one is racketeering violation, number two, racketeering violation; number three, using a two-way communication device…” said a judge. “Sir, I apologize. I left off two other charges. Number nine, knowingly giving false info to a law enforcement officer and ten, tampering or fabricate physical evidence.”
He has since been suspended without pay.
“Police and deputies, we take an oath of office,” said Broward Sheriff Scott Israel. “We take an oath to protect and serve, not to get engaged with dope dealers, and it’s not an easy thing to have to arrest one of your own, but the folks in public corruption they did their job, and we’ll see what the justice system — if it prevails.”
Israel released a statement, Tuesday afternoon, that read in part: “Everyone who wears our uniform swore to serve and protect the residents of Broward County, not abuse their power for a self-serving purpose.”
The statement goes on to read: “Although disappointing, this arrest is yet another example of how the professionals in our agency will follow leads wherever they take them, even if that means arresting a fellow deputy who has done wrong. I demand our deputies give their best to our community, and the community wants and expects to receive the best from us.”
Burrows was once arrested in 2010 for grand theft. In that case, investigators had raided a house in Pompano Beach as part of a pot bust.
The cash that was discovered during the bust was counted by deputies three times. “The money was then left in the custody of another detective, Detective Burrows,” said Former BSO Sheriff Al Lamberti. “When it got turned in, it was short by $1,200. Obviously, it didn’t evaporate. Someone took it.”
The deputy was found not guilty and returned to work in June 2011.
Burrows is being held on $261,000 bond and will need to wear a GPS monitor once released.
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