(U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio — Photo-lab processors do more than develop pictures. They also have the responsibility of deciding whether to call the police if they develop questionable photos with graphic sexual images.

“If we see any images that contain children and are sexually explicit, we have to alert the authorities,” said Dave Cordle, vice president of Cord Camera.

Cordle said photos of adults are different. What constitutes sexually explicit is harder to decide when the photos are of adults, not children.

“If a printer is offended by printing the questionable photos, we tell them not to print them,” Cordle said. “It is left up to the discretion of the printers.”

According to the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990, “Any person who … knowingly receives … with intent to sell … any visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, if the production of the visual depiction involved the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct … shall be punished,” if the incident fails to be reported to the proper authorities.

Any person, such as a commercial photo-lab processor, engaged in a professional capacity falls under the statute.

“Lucky for us, we have not seen anything exploiting a child,” said Megen Marksch, a photo-lab employee at a Target in Columbus, Ohio.

“I tell my employees if there is anything questionable, report it to me, and I will call the police,” said Ryan Lalli, area manager of the Target photo lab. “Photos of children are automatically reported to the police if there is anything out of the ordinary.”

Lalli said if the printers do not feel comfortable printing the photos, they do not have to print them.

“We have six different letters that explain our policies to customers if we choose not to print all of their pictures,” Lalli said. “We do not give them the pictures, but we do give them their negatives.”

Target and CVS photo-lab employees receive the same training, Lalli said.

New technology, such as digital cameras, reduces the chances of people bringing in sexually explicit photos for developing. Polaroids also prevent photos from needing to be developed by a commercial photo processor.

“Fortunately, we do not see many questionable images,” Marksch said. “But if we do find ourselves in that situation, we know to report it, and we know why we have to report it.”