FLORISSANT, Mo. — A former Florissant police officer has been accused of illegally searching cellphones of 20 women for nude images, according to authorities.

The U.S. District Court in St. Louis indicted 29-year-old Julian Alcala with destroying records in a federal investigation.

Officials said he allegedly took victims' phones under the guise of checking insurance coverage, but was really looking for nude photos before taking his own pictures of the images with his personal cellphone.

The indictment also says Alcala found a video on one victim’s phone and texted that video to his phone before attempting to delete evidence of the text.

“We are disgusted at this behavior, which is a complete betrayal of the values we uphold and in no way reflects the professionalism and integrity of our dedicated officers,” the Florissant Police Department said in a Facebook post.

The FBI St. Louis Division informed the Florissant Police Department of the investigation in early June, according to police.

After becoming aware of the allegations, Alcala resigned from his position and the Florissant Police Department fully cooperated with the investigation.

Alcala worked as a Florissant Police officer for 11 months. During his employment, Alcala did not receive any complaints or accusations of misconduct, according to police.

The Florissant Police Department said Alcala was hired “after a meticulous and thorough background investigation, which revealed no areas of concern.”

“We want to assure our residents that we had no knowledge of any illegal activity or improper behavior by Alcala during his time with our department. Importantly, no other members of the Florissant Police Department were involved in this matter,” the Facebook post states.

The post goes on to say, “We recognize the gravity of this breach of trust and its impact on our community. Rebuilding that trust is our top priority, and we are committed to transparency, accountability and regaining the confidence of those we serve.”