NYPD Detective Facing Backlash for Pole Dancing in Rap Video

An officer’s scantily-clad side gig has caused quite the debate.

As pointed out by the New York Post, NYPD Det. Melissa Mercado went viral in recent weeks after she was spotted in a sexually-charged rap video set at an NYC strip club. The visual was for S-Quire’s “Doin That” track, in which he reflects on a woman who “loves the pole.” The clip has garnered over 1.3 million views since it was shared to YouTube.

“Wanna tell you ’bout a girl named Keisha. Ass thick. Just want to smash it quick,” the Hempstead, New York artist raps on the song.

The video, directed by Picture Perfect and distributed by WorldStarHipHop, begins with a shot of Mercado dancing on a stripper pole while rocking a g-string and bra. The woman, who is not identified in the visual, proceeds to twerk and give S-Quire a lapdance before she’s seen sprawled out on a bed. 

The Post reports Mercado is a seven-year veteran of the NYPD and earns $144,000 annually as a Special Victim’s Unit detective in the Bronx. It’s unclear if Mercado will face any disciplinary action from the department.

“What she’s doing really has nothing to do with her as an employee, as an NYC detective,” a police union source told the outlet. “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.”

Retired NYPD officer Eric Sanders told the Daily Mail that Mercado’s actions didn’t align “with the values and professional standards the public expects 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,” Sanders said.

S-Quire told the Daily Mail the video in question was filmed in 2022 at Club Vanity. He described Mercado as a “friend” whom he met through Picture Perfect; however, he claimed he had no idea she was an NYPD detective when she accepted the video gig. 

“I didn’t know what she did for a living,’ he said with a laugh. ‘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. I just thought she had a great look. I think she thought the video wasn’t going to go anywhere. This is just one of those things.”

Mercado and the NYPD have yet to publicly address the matter.