2 Missouri officers accused of stealing nude photos from dozens of women’s phones at traffic stops
Two former Missouri officers were charged in separate, unconnected cases in federal court this week over allegations that they illegally searched women's phones during traffic stops to obtain intimate, explicit images found on the devices.
Julian Alcala, 29, who was employed as an officer with the city of Florissant, is charged with 20 counts of deprivation of rights and a count of destroying records in a federal investigation, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri announced Thursday.
The deprivation of rights specifically refers to being free from unreasonable search and seizure, established in the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
According to the federal indictment, Alcala would take women's phones during traffic stops in order to confirm their insuran...