The city of Florissant and former police officer Julian Alcala have agreed to pay $4 million to 24 victims who said Alcala searched their phones without permission during traffic stops. According to the press release, that figure represents the full amount of insurance coverage Florissant had purchased, meaning it was all the money available to the plaintiffs.
Alcala pleaded guilty to 20 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law and was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison. Prosecutors said that between February 6 and May 18, 2024, while on duty, in uniform and driving a marked patrol vehicle, he pulled women over and asked for their phones under the pretense of verifying insurance or registration. He then took the unlocked phones to his patrol car and searched them without a warrant or any legal justification, photographing nude images he found or forwarding videos to himself, then deleting the evidence before returning the phones.
The case began when one victim noticed a private video had been forwarded from her phone during a traffic stop and reported it to the FBI. A search warrant later uncovered images connected to 19 other victims on Alcala’s phone and cloud storage. Alcala has permanently surrendered his Missouri peace officer license.