Search For Carjacker Who Stole Van Carrying Dozens Of SJPD Uniforms
SAN JOSE (KPIX) - Police were searching for a suspect who stole a van carrying dozens of San Jose Police Department uniforms, and cleaning slips with names and phones numbers, according to a police source.
The van was later found abandoned in San Jose, and now investigators are making sure all the uniforms are accounted for.
"It would be disastrous if someone were to get a hold of these uniforms and then go out and start committing crimes," said former FBI agent and KPIX 5 Crime Analyst Jeff Harp.
The driver of the van was carjacked on Rebecca Way, Friday morning. A weapon wasn't brandished, and the victim exited the van immediately and was not injured.
The victim works for a dry cleaning service that picks up, cleans and then drops off uniforms for officers at the San Jose Police Department if they opt to use the service. It's unclear if the driver had picked up the uniforms or was on his way to returning them.
The uniforms belonged to San Jose law enforcement officers of all ranks, according to the source.
It's unknown if the suspect knew the uniforms were inside the van.
"It's going to be taken very seriously; if someone is caught with one of these uniforms, if they're impersonating an officer, there is going to be no holds barred on this," Harp said. "Today people are extremely cautious, and the fact that we're getting this out in the media is just going to heighten the fact that people are going to be more cautious."
There is no description of the suspect or what he was wearing at the time of the carjacking.
