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A detective assigned to the New York Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau has filed a lawsuit alleging racial harassment, sexual humiliation with sex toys, and retaliation by supervisors and a colleague.
The complaint, brought in Manhattan Supreme Court, centers on allegations from Detective Jonathan Calderon, who joined the unit in May 2023 and claims the behavior began almost immediately.
Calderon, a married father of three who is Colombian and Christian, said in the filing that Capt. Darryl Knight repeatedly referred to him as “the spic” and “that spic” in front of other officers. The complaint states, “Each use of the slur reinforced the message that [Calderon’s] ethnicity made him inferior, unwelcome, and a target.”
The lawsuit also names Detective Alejandro Polanco-Cortiz, alleging that he placed sex toys on and around Calderon’s desk and mocked him with derogatory language. Calderon said that on one occasion, Polanco-Cortiz placed one object on his desk and another on the floor, and on another day approached him from behind and “began ‘rubbing his penis against’ his back” while making a comment in Spanish. Calderon reported that incident to the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity.
Retaliation alleged after complaint
The filing claims that Knight, Polanco-Cortiz and Capt. Craig Roach learned of Calderon’s complaint and retaliated by removing overtime and issuing disciplinary actions.
Calderon said that reporting alcohol in a refrigerator in late 2024 prompted a verbal outburst from a superior.
During a meeting that followed, Knight “pulled out his firearm” and shouted, “I don’t know who the f**k is complaining!”
The detective stated that to him, “the message is clear, if you continue to complain, we may take your life.”
Calderon reported the officers to the EEOC after the meeting. The complaint says he later received a failing score on his annual evaluation, developed facial swelling due to stress, and was publicly told by Knight that he “has herpes.”
The lawsuit alleges additional remarks from Knight in early 2025, including, “I need two people of your kind to work,” followed by the explanation “spics” and “I prefer the ones with no papers.” Calderon also says Knight mocked his weight, called him gay, and exposed himself.
Financial strain and departmental changes
Calderon claims the loss of overtime forced him to take out more than $40,000 in pension loans to care for his family. He was transferred to another Internal Affairs group in May 2025. Knight was reassigned to the Brooklyn Court Section in September.
Calderon told The New York Post that the officers who “bullied and humiliated me” lacked “basic human dignity.”
Attorney John Scola said the case “exposes supervisors who used racial slurs, sexual humiliation, and retaliation as management tools.”
An NYPD spokesperson said the department “does not tolerate sexual harassment” and that the allegations “are under internal review.”
