PORTLAND — A former Portland police officer is suing claiming that her training officer repeatedly violated the law to show her how the job was done in the real world, and that her superiors ignored her complaints and said that because she made them, they could not guarantee her safety.

Lindsay Hunt claims that her former trainer, officer Quency Ho, ordered her to falsify police reports, used excessive force and refused to fill out reports on it, and repeatedly took items from a convenience store without paying for them.

Hunt was “consistently told to ‘look the other way’ and warned to keep quiet,’” according to the complaint filed Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

She claims Ho also told her that she was not aggressive or “manly” enough and that “you’ve to play like a boy out here” and “leave those girl emotions on the side.”

But when Hunt reported her concerns to her superiors, she was told she would no longer get backup from her fellow officers, the lawsuit said.

In a rare public response to pending litigation, the Portland Police Bureau denied the allegations.

The police bureau said her claims were taken seriously and investigated by a review board that includes citizen members. But the board found the allegations “were not supported by the facts,” according to Sgt. Brian Schmautz, police spokesman.

Hunt indicated she was considering leaving the police force at the time she reported her concerns, Schmautz said Friday.

“Various bureau members asked Ms. Hunt to avoid making a hasty decision and encouraged her to continue in her training,” he said, but she “chose to resign from employment before the investigation was completed.”

But the lawsuit said that in addition to urging her to remain a police officer, her fellow officers and superiors also encouraged her to keep quiet while she completed her probationary training.

The complaint says that one commander, Capt. Greg Hendricks, told her at one point “to keep a low profile for six months. Then you can be as good a cop as you want.”

Hunt’s attorney, Dennis Steinman, said other officers have reported similar problems.

Steinman says the Portland Police Bureau generally has a good reputation nationally.

“But I think if you scratch beneath the surface of that squeaky clean image, you see some real, serious and troubling issues,” Steinman said.