ST. LOUIS • A city police officer says in a lawsuit that her supervising sergeant sexually harassed her in various ways — including an email to her and other department employees with a mock "wanted" flier with her picture and comments about her body.

The flier, which appears to be on department letterhead, is attached to the lawsuit filed by Officer Tanisha Ross-Paige in St. Louis Circuit Court.

"Subject wanted for having the baddest body in the St. Louis area," it says. "Use extreme caution when approaching this subject. Approach this subject from behind for your own safety."

Ross-Paige alleges that the flier was created and sent by Sgt. Steven Gori, her direct supervisor in the department's 11-member canine unit. She says it is one of several instances of sexual harassment by Gori over the past year and a half.

At other times, the officer alleges, Gori asked her to sit on his lap, asked her to take off her bullet-resistant vest so that he could "see what (she is) working with," and invited her to his house to skinny dip in his hot tub.

The discrimination suit, filed Dec. 22, also names the department and Board of Police Commissioners, along with Lt. Michael Deeba, commander of the SWAT and canine units. It seeks at least $25,000 in damages.

The department, which has not yet been served with the suit, declined to comment Tuesday, but a spokesperson confirmed an investigation. Gori and Deeba could not be reached through the department.

Ross-Paige remains in the canine unit, but reporting to different supervisors, while the inquiry continues.

Her attorney, Jeremy Hollingshead, said the experience has been "very traumatic" for Ross-Paige, who is married and all her life wanted to be a police officer. He said she fears losing her position as a result of the suit, but "more than anything, just wants this behavior to change."

"It's absolutely outrageous that any supervisor anywhere would think that is an acceptable way to treat a female employee," he said.

The suit also claims retaliation by Gori and Deeba, saying that after Ross-Paige filed a complaint with the department in June 2011, they began assigning her to unfavorable shifts, evaluating her differently in performance reviews and denying her time off for training that was provided to male officers.

It says Gori threatened her job and warned that he would seize her police dog if she did not accept his advances. It claims he also instructed another officer to forge her signature on a form waiving a promotional exam.

Ross-Paige, who joined the department in 2005, was assigned to the canine unit in September 2008. Gori joined the unit in July 2010, when the harassment started, the suit claims. Gori also was Ross-Paige's supervisor in District 6 for about seven months before her transfer to the canine unit.

Deeba served a one-week, unpaid suspension in 2007, when he was commander of the department's vice-narcotics division, for failing to properly supervise detectives who used 2006 World Series tickets seized from scalpers. Three of his sergeants also were suspended.