NYPD Detective Under Fire for Viral Pole-Dancing Video! 🚨 In a shocking turn of events, NYPD Detective Melissa Mercado has been removed from active cases and is under review after appearing as a stripper in rapper S-Quire's viral music video. Mercado, a sex crimes investigator, is now facing scrutiny from both retired officials and her colleagues, who have criticized her actions as inappropriate and embarrassing for her role.
Despite her laid-back demeanor, Mercado reportedly didn't expect the video to go viral, leaving the NYPD to determine if she violated department policies.
Law enforcement sources reveal that Mercado, known for her skills as an investigator, is currently not assigned new cases in the Special Victims Unit. The review aims to determine whether she properly filed the necessary paperwork for secondary employment outside her police duties.
At this stage, it's unclear if her participation in the "Doin That" music video, where she danced in a club, a VIP room, and posed on a bed in lingerie, violates any NYPD policies.
According to official records, Mercado is a third-grade detective with the Bronx Special Victims Unit, earning $144,000 annually, and has been with the NYPD since 2018. In an interview, S-Quire and the video's director, Pitch Perfect, revealed that Mercado was brought on through a casting agency, and they had no clue she was an NYPD officer at the time.
Pitch Perfect mentioned that Mercado's appearance in the music video has made her a highly sought-after dancer for other rap projects.
S-Quire described Mercado as a "friend" and "associate," saying he connected with her through the video's producer. The detective volunteered to participate in the project, which was filmed in early 2022 at Club Vanity, a gentlemen's club in Queens. The entire shoot lasted about three and a half hours, with Mercado using her nickname, Honeybee, on social media.
Despite her sultry on-screen persona, S-Quire described Mercado as "cool and laid back," adding that she is "just a regular, down-to-earth human being." He admitted he was caught off guard by the video's sudden popularity and believes Mercado was equally unprepared for the viral attention.
Retired NYPD Special Victims Division Chief Michael Osgood called it especially troubling for a detective handling sex crimes to appear in content that objectifies women, while retired police officer and attorney Eric Sanders argued that Mercado's actions are inconsistent with the values of being a police officer.