His attorney said Adymy had a good record in 17 years of police work, and never has been accused of having any improper contact with children.

"He looked at pictures. He didn't send them to anyone else. He didn't do this at work," Greenman said. "This has been a nightmare for (Adymy), his wife and his kids, but his family is standing behind him."

Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Adymy at his Hamburg home in late March. Agents said Adymy is one of more than 1,600 people arrested in connection with "Operation Predator," an investigation focusing on Internet child pornography sites.

Adymy told U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara he has been "terminated" from the Hamburg police force, and that he is in a counseling program. Town Police Chief Joseph Coggins did not return calls seeking his comment.

A Burlington, Vt., researcher who wrote a book on Internet pornography said use of the Internet and digital photography have caused an explosion in the worldwide circulation of child pornography over the past decade.

"The government is very aggressive about prosecuting it, and they should be," said Frederick S. Lane III, author of "Obscene Profits: The Entrepreneurs of Pornography in the Cyber Age."