A former suburban St. Louis police officer pleaded guilty in federal court this week after admitting he searched women’s phones for nude photos and videos during traffic stops .

Ex- Florissant officer Julian Alcala, 30, pleaded guilty Tuesday to 20 counts of willfully depriving someone of their right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure, but avoided a felony obstruction count in a deal with federal prosecutors.

Alcala admitted to first pulling a woman over in February 2024 and taking her cellphone to his patrol car under the pretense of confirming her insurance information. Instead, he used his phone to take photos of explicit content he found in her folders and app, and even texted himself a video of the women engaged in sexual activity before deleting the sent text.

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