Exclusive | NYPD detective harassed by bosses who tormented him with sex toys: suit
He got the shaft.
An NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau detective was sexually and racially harassed by his bosses and a co-worker – who put dildos on and around his desk in a twisted bid to torment him, according to a shocking new lawsuit.
Detective Jonathan Calderon claims the mistreatment began as soon as he joined the unit because he was brought in by longtime friend, then-Commanding Officer Chief Miguel Iglesias, without an interview and placed on track to become a detective, according to the suit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court last month.
Calderon, 38, a married dad of three who’s Colombian and a devout Christian, joined the force in 2008, and began working for IAB’s Group 52, the Integrity Testing Group, in May 2023, according to the suit filed by lawyer John Scola.
From almost day one, his supervisor, Capt. Darryl Knight, who is white, called him “the spic” and “that spic” in front of other cops at roll call and during conversations, he alleges in the lawsuit against his bosses and the city.
“Each use of the slur reinforced the message that [Calderon’s] ethnicity made him inferior, unwelcome and a target,” according to the lawsuit.
Detective Alejandro Polanco-Cortiz, also named as a defendant in the suit, “placed a large black dildo” on Calderon’s desk and called him a “d–k rider” on July 13, 2023, according to the suit.
On a separate occasion, Polanco-Cortiz stuck a fake orange penis to Calderon’s desk, with another on the floor, the suit claims.
In April, 2024, alleges he Calderon arrived at the office to find a mounted deer head that belonged to Knight placed in his chair.
The word “rat” was written on his locker, and a snarling rubber rat left on his desk.
Calderon was sitting at his desk one day when Polanco-Ortiz walked up behind him and began “rubbing his penis against” his back through his pants and stating ‘No te gusta Bicho?’” — Spanish for “You don’t like the d–k?” the lawsuit alleges.
Calderon filed a sexual harassment complaint with the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity after the incident.
Capt. Craig Roach, Knight and Polanco-Cortiz learned of the complaint and began to retaliate against him, Calderon alleges, claiming they stripped him of overtime and targeted him for discipline.
Doing things by the book allegedly enraged his superiors, he claims in the suit.
In late 2024, he reported the presence of alcohol in the office’s refrigerator, causing one of his superiors to fly off the handle in a unit-wide meeting.
During the meeting, Knight pulled out his firearm while lecturing the unit about not filing complaints and shouted, “I don’t know who the f–k is complaining!” according to the lawsuit.
To Calderon, “the message is clear, if you continue to complain we may take your life,” according to the lawsuit.
After the menacing incident, Calderon reported the three cops to the EEOC.
Calderon was then given a failing three out of five score at his annual evaluation, and the stress caused him to suffer a rash on his face and swollen lips, the suit alleges.
Knight noticed the swelling and “loudly” announced that Calderon “has herpes,” according to the suit.
When Iglesias was replaced in 2025 by Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch after the ex-Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey sex-for-overtime scandal, the harassment grew even worse, the suit claims.
In early 2025, Knight, who owns a flower shop called Front Porch Flora in Smithtown, Long Island, approached Calderon and told him “I need two people of your kind to work,” according to the lawsuit.
When Calderon asked what he meant, Knight responded “spics” and said “I prefer the ones with no papers,” according to the suit.
Knight also repeatedly called Calderon gay and pulled his own pants down in front of him. Calderon, who’s 5-foot-10 and 245 pounds, was also regularly mocked and called “fat.”
In the lawsuit, Calderon claims he took a financial hit as a result of the loss of overtime that forced him to take out more than $40,000 in pension loans in 2024 and 2025 to feed his family and pay his mortgage.
Calderon was transferred to another group in IAB in May 2025.
Knight was transferred to the Brooklyn Court Section on Sept. 15, where he remains, according to the suit.
Calderon told The Post that those officers who “bullied and humiliated me” lacked professionalism and “basic human dignity.”
“These were people who were supposed to be my colleagues, my brothers and sisters and the very ones entrusted with upholding the highest ethical standards,” he said.
“Instead, they used their positions to demean and attack me.”
Scola said the case “exposes supervisors who used racial slurs, sexual humiliation, and retaliation as management tools,” Scola said. “We hope that through Detective Calderon’s courageous decision to take legal action, we can help dismantle the culture of impunity that has plagued NYPD officers for years.”
The city didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.
Knight said “no comment” when reached by phone.
The other two defendants didn’t respond to calls.
“The NYPD does not tolerate sexual harassment and is committed to respectful work environments for our diverse workforce,” an NYPD spokesperson said. “These allegations are under internal review.”
