Julian Alcala, Unreasonable Search and Seizure, Missouri 2024

A shocking case of police misconduct has come to light in Missouri, where a former officer pleaded guilty to searching women's phones for nude images during traffic stops.

Julian Alcala, a 30-year-old former Florissant police officer, admitted to illegally searching the phones of 20 women between February 6, 2024, and May 18, 2024.

Alcala, who was on duty and in a marked police vehicle at the time, would pull the women over and then take their phones away from them, claiming he needed to use them to confirm insurance coverage or vehicle registration.

However, once he had the phones in his patrol car, Alcala would search through them without a warrant or probable cause, taking photographs of nude images he found on the phones.

One victim discovered that Alcala had forwarded a video of her to his own cell phone, prompting an investigation by the FBI.

Court-approved search warrants were then issued for Alcala's cell phone and cloud storage, revealing images of 19 additional victims.

Alcala pleaded guilty to 20 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, specifically the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

Each charge carries a penalty of up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $100,000, or both.

Alcala is scheduled to be sentenced on March 11, 2026.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/former-florissant-police-officer-admits-searching-womens-phones-nude-images