No bias against detective on Blaz detail: city

An NYPD detective on the mayor’s security detail who said he was deemed “too intimidating” because of his Russian heritage was merely complaining about “petty slights and trivial inconveniences,” the city argues in new papers seeking to dismiss his case.

Detective Alex Pelepelin sued the city in May, charging that the head of the mayor’s Executive Protection Unit, Inspector Howard Redmond, said he was “too intimidating for the mayor’s family.”

Pelepelin’s lawsuit was the first of four filed in connection with a scandal on de Blasio’s security detail. More suits filed by disgruntled members of the detail are expected in the coming weeks.

The city fired back at Pelepelin (photo) in papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court last week that offer a hint at a defense against the mounting discrimination allegations.

“Those comments, at best, can be construed to reflect his superiors’ assessment of plaintiff personally, not Russians or individuals over the age of 50,” city attorney Danielle Dandrige wrote.

“Plaintiff relies solely on an unsupported belief that he was not promoted because he is a 51 year old Russian.”

Dandrige asked a judge to toss the case due to inadequate evidence of discrimination, retaliation or a hostile work environment.

“The comments that the complaint alleges were made to Pelepelin cannot be taken as individual remarks. They are a part of the bigger picture — a pattern of discrimination alleged and detailed in the complaint. Younger, non-Russian detectives were not on the receiving end of these remarks — or discriminatory actions,” Pelepelin’s attorney Marshall Bellovin said.