Former Broward County Sheriff Nick Navarro, who had ordered the arrest of rappers 2 Live Crew on obscenity charges, died on Wednesday.
Broward Sheriff's Office Chaplain Rick Braswell said he was with the family when 81-year-old Navarro died at home in the afternoon, but he didn't immediately know the cause of Navarro's death.
"Passed away at home, quietly, very quietly," Braswell told NBC Miami. "He had been ill for some time ... I just know he had been ill for a while."
Braswell said funeral arrangements will be finalized on Thursday.
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"In his police life, he was very flamboyant," Braswell said. "In his personal life he was pretty quiet."
Sheriff Al Lamberti has authorized all BSO flags to fly at half-staff.
"He lived for the Broward Sheriff's Office and it's a sad day for all of us who had the pleasure of working for Sheriff Navarro," Lamberti said. "He was a cop's cop."
After Navarro was elected in 1984, the Broward Sheriff's Office grew from 1,600 employees and a budget of $74 million to more than 3,000 employees and a $200 million budget. The agency entered the national spotlight when Navarro gave the television show COPS permission to film its first season in Broward County.
Navarro also made national headlines with the 2 Live Crew arrest, but the band was later acquitted. Navarro left office after losing a 1992 re-election bid.
"He always had the people's best interest at heart," Lamberti said.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
