A chilling betrayal of trust unfolded in Missouri as a former police officer confessed to a disturbing abuse of power. Julian Alcala, once sworn to protect and serve, systematically violated the privacy of women he encountered during routine traffic stops.
Between February and May of 2024, Alcala, while on duty in Florissant, Missouri, pulled over twenty women under the guise of checking insurance or vehicle registration. But his intentions were far more sinister than ensuring compliance with the law.
He would seize their phones, leading them to believe he was performing a legitimate task. Instead, he exploited his position, illegally searching through personal photos and private messages without a warrant or any legal justification.
Alcala wasn’t looking for evidence of a crime; he was hunting for nude images. Using his own phone, he photographed compromising pictures he discovered hidden within the victims’ devices, capturing moments of intimate privacy for his own perverse gratification.
The scheme began to unravel when one victim discovered a video of herself had been surreptitiously forwarded to Alcala’s phone. This discovery triggered an FBI investigation that quickly exposed the extent of his predatory behavior.
Facing mounting evidence, Alcala resigned from the Florissant Police Department in June 2024. The investigation subsequently revealed images of nineteen additional victims stored on his phone and in his cloud storage.
He has now pleaded guilty to twenty counts of deprivation of rights under color of law – a direct violation of the constitutional right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. Each count carries a potential sentence of up to one year in jail and a substantial fine.
The Florissant Police Department expressed profound disgust at Alcala’s actions, acknowledging the devastating breach of trust and vowing to rebuild community confidence through transparency and accountability. The department emphasized that his behavior was a complete aberration, not representative of its dedicated officers.
Alcala’s sentencing is scheduled for March 11, 2026, leaving the victims and the community to grapple with the profound consequences of his abuse of power and the shattering of their sense of security.
