Naughty teens across America are sending each other racy messages and pictures via their cell phones, risking trouble with the law, including being branded sex offenders if they send nude or semi-nude photos, according to The Associated Press.

Indeed, “sexting” apparently has taken on many forms—and goes far beyond the realm of teenagers, even into the Denver Police Department, where a sergeant has been demoted for sexting a female recruit, reports CBS4.

A brief synopsis of an investigation into now-Officer 1st Grade Kevin Jackson states, “In one of these text messages, you told her that you wanted to kiss her. You were assigned as the class commander of that recruit class.”

Documents indicate that the department concluded Jackson, who has been with the department since 1991, violated several departmental rules.

Jackson’s lawyer, Michael T. Lowe, writes in an appeal that the demotion “constitutes an abuse of discretion” and the penalty being imposed “is disproportionate in comparison to other members of the Denver Police Department under similar circumstances.”