Missouri Women Agree to $4 Million Settlement Over Police Officer’s Phone Searches
A group of women in Missouri has agreed to a $4 million settlement in a lawsuit concerning a police officer who illegally stole nude images from their cellphones, according to an attorney representing the victims. The former officer, 31-year-old Julian Alcala, targeted 20 women between February and May 2024 while working for the Florissant Police Department in Eastern Missouri, the U.S. Justice Department reported.
Methods Used During Traffic Stops
During traffic stops, Mr. Alcala routinely took mobile phones from drivers back to his patrol car under the false pretense of confirming vehicle registration or insurance coverage. He then searched the devices for images of the victims in a partial or full state of nudity and captured the photographs using his own cellphone. The illegal conduct came to light after he forwarded a victim’s video to his personal phone and attempted to delete the evidence from her device.
Guilty Plea and Criminal Sentencing
The victim whose video was forwarded noticed the breach and reported the incident to the F.B.I., prompting an investigation that led to Mr. Alcala’s resignation from the department. He subsequently pleaded guilty in December to 20 counts of deprivation of rights and received a two-year prison sentence in March. Talmage E. Newton IV, a lawyer for the victims, noted that the defendants settled solely “to buy their peace” without admitting liability, utilizing the full $4 million in insurance coverage and available funds provided by the city of Florissant.
Unrelated Trooper Case Surfaces
Mr. Alcala had served for 11 months in Florissant, a municipality of slightly over 50,000 residents situated about 20 miles northwest of St. Louis, with no prior complaints or misconduct accusations on his record in 2024. Representatives for the Florissant Police Department and Mr. Alcala’s legal counsel did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a separate case that emerged the same week, former Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper David McKnight, 40, pleaded guilty in December to nine counts of deprivation of rights for similar conduct during traffic stops and was sentenced to 21 months in prison in April.
