A detective in the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) has filed a lawsuit that describes a pattern of racial and sexual harassment inside the agency. Detective Jonathan Calderón, a 38‑year‑old Colombian father of three, says he was repeatedly taunted, insulted, and physically harassed by his supervisors and a colleague after he joined the unit in May 2023.
Calderón’s lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Superior Court last month, claims the incidents began almost immediately after he was assigned to IAB’s Integrity Testing Group. His supervising commander had already promoted him without a screening interview, according to the complaint. From day one, Calderón says the white commander, Captain Darryl Knight, made unprofessional remarks such as “the spic” in front of other officers, adding that the slur was meant to make Calderón feel inferior and unwelcome.
The suit lists several humiliating incidents. A fellow detective, Alejandro “Polanco‑Cortiz,” allegedly placed a large black dildo on Calderón’s desk and used vulgar language. On other days, a fake orange penis was dropped beside him and a rubber rat was left on his desk, according to the lawsuit.
On a separate occasion, Polanco‑Cortiz reportedly touched a part of Calderón’s back, whispering in Spanish, “You don’t like the d‑k?” Interviews and police documents detail more scenes in which the officers used demeaning language, called Calderón “rat,” or written the word “rat” on his locker label.
Calderón reports that he filed a formal sexual‑harassment complaint with the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity after these incidents. The lawsuit says that after the complaint was filed, Calderón, as a result of retaliation, lost overtime pay and was targeted for discipline.
He says he even received a failing evaluation score, which added to his stress and caused physical symptoms such as a facial rash and swollen lips. When the blood‑pressure‑high officer noticed the swelling, he derogatorily called Calderón “herpes.”
At one point, Calderón went to the office refrigerator to inform his supervisor that it contained alcohol, citing a health‑safety concern. Captain Knight allegedly reacted, pulling out his firearm on the floor and shouting in a unit‑wide meeting, “I don’t know who the f‑k is complaining!” The lawsuit calls the event a threat that “implies that we may take your life.” After the incident, Calderón reported the three officers to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
After the scandal involving former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey in 2025, the city replaced Chief Miguel Iglesias with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The lawsuit states that the new environment made the harassment worse. In early 2025, Knight approached Calderón with a request to “get two people of your kind to work,” again using the slur “spic.” At one stage, Knight repeatedly described Calderón as gay and lowered his pants in front of him. He also called him “fat,” calling it a general mockery.
Because of the overtime pay losses, Calderón says he had to take more than $40,000 in pension loans in 2024 and 2025 to cover his family and mortgage. The lawsuit says Calderón was eventually transferred to another IAB group in May 2025, and Knight has moved to the Brooklyn Court Section, but the accusations remain.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, John Scola, says that the case shows how separate misconduct protocols are used as tools of intimidation. He says the lawsuit “exposes supervisors who used racial slurs, sexual humiliation, and retaliation as management tools” and hopes it will help break a culture of impunity at the NYPD.
City officials have yet to respond. An NYPD spokesperson said the department takes sexual harassment “seriously” and that the allegations “are under internal review.” Knight has declined to comment, and the other accused officers have not answered calls. The lawsuit aims to hold the officers accountable and highlight the bigger issue of harassment in police workplaces.
For readers following police culture, the case signals that discrimination and sexual misconduct – even in a high‑profile agency like the NYPD – can go unchecked without external pressure. The lawsuit asks the court to examine the behaviors of senior officers and enforce policies that protect all police employees from harassment, whether it is based on race, gender or sexual preference.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
