Julian Alcala, a former Florissant police officer, has been indicted on multiple charges including destroying records in a federal investigation and deprivation of rights under color of law, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Said indictment was announced Wednesday, detailing how Alcala allegedly used his position to search through 20 women's cell phones for nude photos between February and May of this year.
The document detailed Alcala's method, wherein he took possession of the women's phones supposedly to confirm insurance coverage or vehicle registration. He would then unlawfully search to find nude images and proceed to quickly photograph these personal photos with his device. Notably, this is not an isolated incident in law enforcement, with David McKnight, another former officer, being indicted just a day prior on similar charges involving the violation of nine women's privacy in a similar manner. Both cases starkly highlight the potential to abuse supposedly routinely granted authorities.
Each count of the charges against Alcala reflects an individual victim of his invasion of privacy. The gravity of this situation is underscored by an incident where Alcala supposedly located a video on a victim's phone, texted it to himself, and then attempted to cover his tracks by deleting the evidence. Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division encouraged anyone who feels their civil rights may have been violated by law enforcement to report it. "If you feel uncomfortable about your encounter with law enforcement, please don't hesitate to go to that department after the fact to report what happened," Johnson advised in the press release.
