Seven-year NYPD veteran Melissa Mercado rebranded her identity in a raunchy light after popping up on a music video for Hempstead rapper S-Quire’s “Doin That." Published by World Hip Hop in February, the clip shows the detective who's gone viral for pole dancing, twerking and flaunting her curvy figure wearing a thong and a bra.
NYPD Detective Melissa Mercado's risque video has got the officials talking
Although the erotic video did not name the NYPD detective, law enforcement sources have since confirmed to the New York Post that it is, in fact, her. “What she’s doing really has nothing to do with her as an employee, as an NYC detective,” a police union source said.
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“She’s not wearing NYPD paraphernalia. Nothing in the video says she’s a detective. 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,” they added. Mercado’s choice of risque outfits in the video is what’s caused controversy online.
Police officers speak out about her moonlighting gig
Fellow detectives are especially questioning her after-hours side quest and judging her without mincing any words. While a police source defended her, saying Melissa Mercado has “made some good collars” and is “respected by her peers,” retired NYPD Special Victims Division Chief Michael Osgood doesn’t share the same views.
{{/usCountry}}Fellow detectives are especially questioning her after-hours side quest and judging her without mincing any words. While a police source defended her, saying Melissa Mercado has “made some good collars” and is “respected by her peers,” retired NYPD Special Victims Division Chief Michael Osgood doesn’t share the same views.
{{/usCountry}}“There’s a line of thinking that what you do off duty, you do off duty,” he said. “But I think this conduct is unbecoming a police officer. I find it wrong morally if you’re a special victims detective.”
Retired NYPD officer Eric Sanders also told the Daily Mail that Mercado’s off-duty actions didn’t align “with the values and professional standards the public experts from law enforcement - especially those entrusted with investigating sensitive cases involving special victims.
“The department must conduct a thorough review of this detective’s conduct, caseload, and overall fitness for duty to ensure accountability and maintain public confidence in its officers,” he added.
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What else do we know about Melissa Mercado so far?
Mercado, whose moonlighting gig went viral this week, is a $144,000-a-year grade 3 detective assigned to Bronx special victims, according to records. She joined the force in 2018.
Rapper S-Quire shared with the Daily Mail that his music video was shot in 2022 at Club Vanity in NYC. He described Melissa as a “friend” he’d connected with via Pitch Perfect. As far as his account goes, he had no idea about her profession.
“She doesn’t seem like a detective. When you think of detectives, you think of Special Victims Unit on the TV… She just wanted to help me out with the video, help me get my vision out,” he said.
It remains to be seen if Mercado will face any disciplinary action for her now not-so-lesser-known side job.