Former EMU officer charged: Officer who found hidden camera talks about accused associate

Victim of accused EMU officer talks to FOX 2

A former Eastern Michigan University police officer was charged for allegedly hiding cameras in a hotel and locker room to spy on colleagues.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (FOX 2) - A former police officer allegedly planted hidden cameras to spy on three female colleagues without clothes on. He has since been charged.

Meanwhile, on Monday, one of the alleged victims sat down with FOX 2’s Jessica Dupnack to tell her story. 

The backstory:

GoPro cameras were hidden in the locker room at the Eastern Michigan University Police Department and in the bathroom of a hotel room during a police union conference.

It’s unclear how long this former officer has allegedly been spying.

What they're saying:

Jennafer Burgess sat down with FOX 2 as a Ypsilanti police sergeant and a crime victim. 

"He was a cool guy from what I thought; it’s a shock to everyone," said Burgess. "It’s an eerie feeling; you feel violated, you trusted person, you just feel disgusted."

In January, Burgess was at a police union conference in Grand Rapids with two friends, female officers with Eastern Michigan University Police. 

That was when she says she discovered a hidden camera near and facing the toilet. 

It allegedly belonged to their friend and former officer with EMU Police, 27-year-old Alex Colarossi, who was in the adjoining room next door.

"First thought is it’s the hotel; they’re doing something, not someone you’re with," she said. "He claimed that he had it there because he was cleaning it while he was on the toilet."

Dig deeper:

Colarossi was charged with three counts of recording an unclothed person and using a computer to commit a crime. He was suspended immediately by EMU Police and resigned as they were working towards his firing.

We talked to a cybersecurity expert, who said there’s no reason to be paranoid, but it's important to be aware of this kind of thing. 

You can actually buy hidden camera detectors on Amazon for anywhere from $20-$30.