DAPHNE, Ala. — Daphne police are investigating two cases involving Daphne Middle School students who allegedly exchanged nude photographs of themselves, police Lt. Jud Beedy said yesterday.

In one case, a girl and a boy apparently captured and exchanged such personal photos, Beedy said.

“Teacher heard some kids talking about it and contacted us,” he said.

In a separate case, a girl allegedly took nude photos of herself in a girls bathroom, with a cell phone a boy gave her.

“The second case came to light when we were interviewing people on the first case,” Beedy said.

Police are investigating both incidents, which could carry stiff penalties for the guilty.

Offenses could range from dissemination or display of child pornography, a class B felony, to material harmful to minors, a misdemeanor, according to police.

Though children may have committed the crimes, they’ll still do the time, Beedy said.

“There’s diferent programs that they could be sentenced to, at the discretion of the courts, to correct this behavior,” he said.

But such programs pale in comparison to the blemish on a child’s record.

“Essentially, it’s possession of child pornography,” Beedy said. “Unfortunately (for the kids), one of the crimes that comes along with it is being a registered sex offender.

“You have to take it on a case-by-case basis, but yeah, there’s a good possibility of it.”

Beedy said police are still interviewing people for information on the two cases, and he offered advice for parents raising children in this information age.

“We want to educate the parents that when you buy your kid a cell phone with a camera on it, you need to be very conscious of what your kids are doing with that cell phone,” he said.

This is a first for Daphne schools, he believes.

“To my knowledge, it’s the first time nude photo trade … has been reported,” he said.

To report information on either case, call 621-2839.