Note: This article contains explicit language and descriptions that some readers may find inappropriate.
(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A New York City officer who controversially appeared in a hip-hop music video as a pole dancer has been reassigned weeks after the video went viral on social media.
NYPD Det. Melissa Mercado was transferred on March 14 to another Bronx precinct, where she is unlikely to continue her work investigating special victims cases, according to the New York Post. The police department had removed Mercado from active assignments pending an investigation into her off-duty conduct.
In mid-February, Mercado garnered viral attention after reports confirmed she was the sole actress featured in S-Quire’s Doin That music video, released by popular urban platform World Star Hip Hop.
In the video, Mercado performs as a pole dancer in what appears to be a nightclub. Wearing nothing but a bra and thong, Mercado is seen shaking her buttocks to the song’s explicit lyrics.
“Pop that p***y for me give me that rocky roll,” S-Quire raps in the song. “Drop it low, legs long, a** thick, just want to smash it quick,” he added, referring to sex.
In another part of the video, S-Quire throws cash at Mercado, a common practice in strip clubs. An additional scene shows Mercado offering a private dance while wearing a yellow bikini.
Mercado’s involvement in the video drew widespread condemnation from both online personalities and fellow NYPD officers. Retired Special Victims Division Chief Michael Osgood described her conduct as “unbecoming” of an officer, adding: “I find it wrong morally if you’re a special victims detective.”
Pitch Perfect, the music video’s producer, told TMZ that neither he nor S-Quire knew Mercado’s main profession. They allegedly booked her through a casting agency, which suggests that acting and modeling are Mercado’s side gigs in addition to her duties as an officer. Mercado earns approximately $144,000 annually from taxpayers.
The Doin That video has amassed more than 2 million views on YouTube.
