Brickbat: Stop and Snoop

The U.S. Justice Department has charged former Florissant, Missouri, police officer Julian Alcala with 20 counts of deprivation of rights and one count of destroying records in a federal investigation. Prosecutors said that during traffic stops Alcala would take women’s phones, telling them it was to confirm their insurance coverage or vehicle registration. But he actually searched the phones for nude images, which he would then photograph on his own phone. In a separate case in the same court, the feds have charged former Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper David McKnight with nine counts of deprivation of rights and one count of destroying records. Prosecutors said McKnight would do the exact same thing: take phones from women he stopped, search for nude images, and photograph them with his phone.

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