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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A Columbus, Ohio, police officer is suing the city and department administrators, claiming nude photos of her were illegally obtained and improperly shared among officers during an internal investigation.



Tricia Zimmerman admits she sent nude photos to her boyfriend, Columbus Officer Jeffrey Lazar, media outlets report. She said the photos were taken while she was off duty and shared on personal phones.

Zimmerman said Lazar's estranged wife took his phone to police Internal Affairs, alleging he and Zimmerman had sex while on duty.



The claim was unsubstantiated.



Zimmerman, who worked with the vice unit, alleges investigators printed and shared the photos with uninvolved officers, prompting degrading comments, workplace hostility and retaliation.

In her complaint, NBC4i.com reported, she alleges that Internal Affairs officers "printed out copies of the photos of Zimmerman, laid the pictures out on a conference room table and showed the pictures to other officers uninvolved in the investigation."

Later, the lawsuit claims, a sergeant told her, "'I saw your pictures. They printed them out and spread them all over the conference room table. We said we were going to send them in to magazines.' - or words that that effect."

The city denied the allegations. It declined comment, citing the pending litigation.



Lazar sued separately, charging the phone search was improper.