A veteran Brooklyn detective is suing the city Civilian Complaint Review Board for defamation and slander, claiming that the watchdog agency badmouthed him even after he was cleared of wrongdoing.

Det. Salvatore Rizzo said in a complaint filed in Manhattan Supreme Court last week that the CCRB, its chair and lead prosecutor falsely implied racial bias was at play when he pulled a gun on a black teenager in 2020 — even though Rizzo was found not guilty at a department trial.

“You lie, you defame, you should pay,” NYPD Detectives Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo said Tuesday of Rizzo’s complaint.

“It’s about time CCRB lawyers and staff who lie pay the price,” he said. “We are dead serious about this.

“Though CCRB personnel knew the facts of the case, and knew that the detective acted reasonably and lawfully based upon his training and NYPD regulations, the decision was consciously made to destroy a career and to maliciously accuse our Detective of being racist,” DiGiacomo added.

The case stems from a Sept. 27, 2020 incident on 49th Street, when Rizzo and other cops spotted two people sleeping inside a car parked in the driveway with the engine running and headlights on.

According to the CCRB complaint, Rizzo approached the rear passenger in the vehicle and briefly pulled his gun on the 17-year old when he suddenly woke up.

The CCRB said the teen “put his right hand between the seat and the door” after waking up.

“Don’t reach!” Rizzo yelled, the CCRB said. “Let me see your hand!”

In his lawsuit, Rizzo said the teenager “suddenly and unexpectedly” moved his hands “toward the floor of the car, not allowing Det. Rizzo to see the passenger’s hands.”

Rizzo said he holstered his weapon after “two or three seconds” when he saw the teen’s hands.

The occupants of the vehicle, who were brothers, had only been napping in the car because they were locked out of their house — and were only given a summons for a small amount of marijuana.

The CCRB didn’t begin disciplinary proceedings against Rizzo until April 2022, accusing the veteran cop of wrongfully using force “without police necessity.”

The board ruled the charges were substantiated and gave Rizzo a chance to plead guilty and be docked 20 vacation days — but he chose to go to trial instead and was cleared after the proceedings last May, with the results sent to NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban for the final decision.

However, it allegedly didn’t end there.

Rizzo claims that CCRB Chairwoman Avra Rice and prosecutor Nishat Tabassum continued to disparage him, including in a letter to the commissioner and in documents posted online.

In a July 7 letter to Caban, Tabassum said Rizzo “unequivocally” endangered the teenager.

“And let’s be clear, if [the teen] were white, [Rizzo] would not have pointed his firearm at [the teen’s] chest,” Tabassum wrote in the letter, according to the lawsuit. “The only way his actions are justified is if you believe black skin is inherently dangerous.”

On Nov. 8, Caban issued his final decision that Rizzo was not guilty of wrongdoing.

Still, on Nov. 16, the CCRB called Rizzo in on another pending complaint that he pulled a gun on a civilian in another case, although details have not been made public.

The veteran cop filed his lawsuit on Jan. 19.

“Stop the CCRB and its personnel from filing meritless charges that often result in damaged careers, retirements, and stalled promotions,” DiGiacomo said. ”End the rogue CCRB ability to destroy careers and to slander the decent hardworking men and women who are proud to carry the NYPD Detective gold shield.”

In a statement Tuesday, the CCRB defended its actions.

“This is not an overreach of the CCRB, this is an example of the NYPD failing to hold its officer to account for misconduct,” wrote Jonathan Darche, the board’s executive director. “Over-policing in black neighborhoods results in different treatment for people based on their zip code.

“Two boys were asleep in their car parked in the driveway outside their home and 6 officers approached them for a so-called wellness check that resulted in an officer drawing his gun in seconds,” Darche said. “This lawsuit is an attempt to undermine one of the only recourses civilians have to combat police officers’ abuse of power.

“The CCRB is exploring all its options to respond under Sections 70a and 76a of the New York State Civil Rights Law,” he added.

According to CCRB records, Rizzo has had nine complaints filed against him since 2015, at least three of them for claims that he wrongfully pulled his gun on civilians.

However, in all of the prior complaints against him, he was either exonerated or the claims were dropped or deemed to be unfounded or unsubstantiated, the records show.

One other complaint is pending.

Rizzo declined to comment to The Post on the advice of counsel. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.