‘Is anyone home?’ Department says a man posed as Broward deputy and burglarized home

Just after shattering a sliding glass door in the back of a Tamarac home, a man walked in and said, “Broward Sheriff’s Office, is anyone home?”

The problem: He wasn’t a deputy — but a burglar, who rummaged through the home and left with about $1,500 worth of items, according to BSO.

The scene was captured on surveillance video, and BSO released it Monday in hopes of getting help identifying the suspect.

On Monday, BSO released video of a man captured knocking on the door at around 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 23. That was around the same time that the suspected burglar entered the home in the 8000 block of Sanibel Drive. But on Tuesday, the department said the man who had knocked was not involved in the burglary.

“While detectives believe this was an isolated incident, they encourage people to ask for the law enforcement officer’s identification, look for the agency’s name on the uniform or call the BSO non-emergency number, 954-764-4357, to verify a deputy’s identity,” the department said in a news release.

Anyone with information is asked to call BSO Det. Wilmer Morales Tubens at 954-247-6014 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.