NYPD Detective’s Steamy Dance Video Sparks Heated Debate: ‘You Lose All Credibility’
Last Updated:
Melissa Mercado is a grade 3 detective assigned to NYPD’s Bronx Special Victims Unit.
The video in question is Doin That by Hempstead rapper S-Quire. (Photo Credits: X)
A US woman is making headlines after a video of her dancing gained widespread attention online. According to the New York Post, Melissa Mercado, a detective in the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, was seen performing in a music video. The video in question is Doin That by Hempstead rapper S-Quire. In the clip, she is seen pole-dancing in revealing clothes. The video has been widely shared which has raised discussions about whether it affects her role as a police officer.
Mercado, a grade 3 detective assigned to the Bronx Special Victims Unit, earns $144,000 (approximately Rs 12.5 lakh) a year and has been with the NYPD since 2018. Law enforcement sources confirmed to New York Post that she is the woman in the video though her name is not mentioned in it. Some officers believe this is a private matter and not something that concerns the department.
“What she’s doing really has nothing to do with her as an employee, as an NYC detective. She’s not wearing NYPD paraphernalia. Nothing in the video says she’s a detective,” police union source told the New York Post. However, the source added, “If she is performing for money, if she has a side gig, the job would want to know about that. The member would be obligated to file an off-duty employment application. I would say nothing she does in the video is the department’s business.”
Another police source defended Mercado, saying she has “made some good collars” and is “respected by her peers.”
On the other hand, Former Special Victims Division Chief Michael Osgood questioned Mercado’s participation in the video. “There’s a line of thinking that what you do off duty, you do off duty. But I think this conduct is unbecoming of a police officer. I find it wrong morally if you’re a special victims detective,” Osgood said as quoted by NYP.
As per the report, it is unclear whether Mercado will face any disciplinary action.
The reactions online are divided. Some say her off-duty actions don’t matter since she isn’t breaking any rules while others feel it makes the police department look bad.
One user commented, “Probably not a good look for the department.”
Another wrote, “You lose all credibility and make the department look bad when you engage in public degenerate behavior. People really want to do whatever they want and never deal with the consequences.”
“I don’t see how it’s their business as long as she’s off duty and not doing anything illegal which she doesn’t appear to be,” an individual shared.
This is not the first time an NYPD officer has faced controversy over their actions outside of work. The New York Post mentioned about a rookie officer who was seen dancing with a fare evader at a subway station in videos posted on TikTok in 2023. In 2022, another officer was filmed giving a married lieutenant a lap dance at a police event and later transferred to another unit.
Past incidents also include two female officers being demoted in 2018 for taking pictures with a nearly naked male stripper at a Mother’s Day event.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India