Pole-dancing NYPD detective pulled from active cases in sex crimes unit: police sources
The curvaceous NYPD detective who went viral after starring in a raunchy rap video while twerking in a thong and skimpy bra will no longer investigate active cases with the Special Victims Division, which investigates sex crimes, police sources said.
Melissa Mercado's behavior was under review, an NYPD spokeswoman said. The department didn't immediately answer when asked if the seven-year NYPD veteran had broken any specific rules when she appeared in the 'Doin That' video by Hempstead rapper S-Quire.
Pitch Perfect, who directed the music video, told TMZ Friday that he and the rapper hired Mercado from a casting agency and were unaware of her day job.
'None of us were aware of … what her main profession was,' the director said.
The video was posted by the online site WorldStarHipHop.
She was not named in the clip — which quickly made the rounds among the rank and file — and she wasn't wearing anything that would identify her as a member of the city's Finest.
It was particularly disturbing for a sex crimes investigator to make a video that's degrading to women, said retired NYPD Special Victims Division Chief Michael Osgood.
'I think this conduct is unbecoming a police officer,' he said. 'I find it wrong morally if you're a special victims detective.'
Mercado should be disciplined, said retired police officer and lawyer Eric Sanders.
'She should be modified,' Sanders said. 'What she did is inconsistent with the values of being a police officer. Police work is a noble profession and it's supposed to look a certain way.'
Mercado, a $144,000-a-year 3rd grade detective assigned to Bronx special victims, joined the force in 2018, records show.
Pitch Perfect claimed to TMZ that Mercado has become a sought-after dancer for other rap videos since her appearance in S-Quire's song.
'Everyone loved this model,' the director said, with S-Quire agreeing, calling her a 'beautiful woman.'
'I've had tons of artists reach out trying to get her in their video,' Pitch Perfect told the outlet, adding with a laugh, 'If you look at it like that, it might be a great thing for her. I think she wins'
'She was one of the stars,' of the 'Doin That' music video, the director added.
Mercado did not return calls from The Post. By Saturday, the 'Doin That' video had garnered more than 1.6 million views.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Will Sean ‘Diddy' Combs Be Convicted?
The sex trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs continues this week, featuring testimony from the rapper's most recent ex-girlfriend. Using the pseudonym, 'Jane', the accuser exposed what she alleges to be Combs' dark sexual fantasies. Combs' defense team submitted a request for a mistrial over the weekend, yet the motion was denied on Tuesday. Former NYPD Detective and 'Hip Hop Cop' Derrick Parker provides his analysis of the case and explains what he believes the odds are of a Combs conviction. Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno If you have a story or topic we should feature on the FOX True Crime Podcast, send us an email at: truecrimepodcast@ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
NYPD vehicles set on fire in Brooklyn parking lot, police say
NEW YORK - Several NYPD vehicles were set on fire overnight in Bushwick, Brooklyn, according to police. The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. Thursday inside a gated NYPD parking lot near the corner of Central and Dekalb avenues. The FDNY responded and the flames have been put out. Several NYPD vehicles were set on fire overnight in Bushwick, Brooklyn, according to police. CBS News New York Police said eight vehicles were damaged. No injuries were reported. Police said this appears to be a case of arson. So far, there's no word on a description of a suspect or suspects. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via their website. All calls are kept confidential. Check back soon for the latest updates on this developing story.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
NYC council signs off on bid to grant lifetime pensions for slain NYPD cop's kids: ‘Honoring her today'
The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to back a proposed tweak in state law that will allow the children of a slain NYPD cop to collect her pension — the final hurdle for the bill to go to a vote in Albany. 'My mom embodied the American dream,' said Genesis Villella, who adopted her two younger siblings after her mom, Miosotis Familia, was gunned down execution-style in the Bronx in 2017. 'For years, the city that she grew up in, loved and protected, didn't love her back,' Villella, 28, said before the vote. 'In fact, they tried to erase her and me, but I want to make it known that my mom is a hero and will always be the hero of my lifetime and today, that erasure and discrimination ended.' The family's dilemma stemmed from an overlooked and outdated state law that awards lifetime pensions to the spouses and parents of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty — but makes no mention of their children, a significant oversight for single parents like Familia. The state proposal would amend the law so that it 'provides for children who were under the age of 25 when the death of the member occurred to receive an accidental death benefit for their lifetimes.' But before legislators in Albany can consider the move, New York City officials have to sign off because state law requires support from the local entity affected by the change. 'Young people like Genesis shouldn't have to take on the impossible and then be told they're invisible by the law,' Council Majority Leader Amanda Farias (D-Bronx) said during a press briefing. 'So, what we've done here was actually replicate what's already within the pension system for spouses and other family members of our officers for her children,' Farias said. 'And so this will, going forward, help other families in the NYPD.' For Villella, Wednesday's vote brings her one step closer to what has been a grueling fight. 'When I was 17, my mom made me promise her that I would take care of my brother and sister if anything were to happen because of the job,' she said. 'Because there was a target on her back and every other cop's back for years. 'I kept my promise to my mom by adopting and raising my brother and sister, Peter and Delilah, and raising them on my own as a mom and a dad when I was barely an adult.' Villella was a young college student when her mom, a 12-year department veteran, was sitting in a mobile command post on July 5, 2017, when deranged gunman Alexander Bonds walked up and shot her. Bonds was later shot dead by police. The tragedy forced Villella to abandon school and focus on raising her twin siblings — both of whom are now enrolled at Marist College, she said. Villella struggled financially to make ends meet because under the existing law, her brother and sister only qualified for benefits until they turned 21. Villella herself would have earned benefits until she turned 23 had she stayed in college, but she had to drop out to care for her younger siblings. After Wednesday's council vote, she is one step away from fulfilling her promise to her mom. 'Now the orphaned children who had no one are going to be receiving the death benefits for the rest of our lifetimes, just like the surviving spouses and the surviving parents,' she said. 'Orphan children, the children who have nobody, are going to be taken care of just the way they should.'
