Courthouse bandit steals cop’s badge, uniform

The search is on for a brazen thief who made off with parts of a Philadelphia police officer’s uniform Tuesday from inside a courthouse.

An officer removed his badge, hat and uniform patrol jacket, then left them on a benchin the Criminal Justice Center while he testified in a courtroom, just before noon.

The suspect — wearing a color-coordinated outfit — grabbed the officer’s gear, and stuffed the jacket into a white shopping bag, police said.

Authorities have released images of the suspect from video surveillance footage inside the courthouse. The suspect was last seen exiting the Criminal Justice Center at noon.

A short time later, the officer made his way into the fifth floor hallway where he found part of his uniform had been swiped.

Police describe the suspect as 40 to 50 years old, with a salt-and-pepper beard and mustache. At the time of the theft, he was wearing sunglasses and wore a tan New York Yankees baseball cap, tan jacket, red vest, white shirt, tan pants and boots.

Anyone with information can call the tip line at 215-686-8477 or can send a text to 773847. Tips can also be submitted anonymously at www.phillypolice.com.