SAN ANTONIO – A police officer with a long list of prior discipline cases was fired last month after investigators said he refused an order to respond to a noise complaint, city records show.
Laurence Levi was handed the indefinite suspension from the San Antonio Police Department on June 10, less than three years after he had been reinstated to the department from two previous indefinite suspensions.
The latest incident involving Levi happened March 1.
After he was dispatched to a noise complaint in the 200 block of Burleson St., Levi asked a dispatcher if he could just do a “patrol-by” instead, discipline records show.
A supervisor, however, ordered Levi to “make the location and check it out,” records show.
Levi then cleared the call without going to the location and without taking steps to determine if an offense had taken place, records show.
“Officer Levi defied the authority of an SAPD supervisory officer when he failed to obey a lawful order,” the suspension record state.
The records indicate Levi failed to turn on his body-worn camera after being dispatched to the call and was twice untruthful when providing written statements about the incident.
Five prior discipline cases involving Levi were taken into consideration prior to the decision to terminate him, records show.
Levi reinstated to SAPD after two previous indefinite suspensions
Levi received two indefinite suspensions in late 2021 after internal affairs investigations determined he mishandled a domestic violence call and assigned himself to a call in which he “sideswiped” a bicyclist, according to previous KSAT reports.
In late April of that year, Levi responded to a minor car crash at West Cesar Chavez and South Chupaderas, according to discipline records.
The woman told police the crash occurred as she was trying to get away from her ex-boyfriend, who she said assaulted her and hurt her head.
Levi asked the woman if she need paramedics to respond, and though she said yes, he never requested medical services for her, according to the suspension document.
The officer did not request investigators photograph the woman’s injuries, and he failed to check her ex-boyfriend’s criminal history. Police said the ex-boyfriend had a violent history and was out on bond for another criminal charge.
Levi was also cited for being “argumentative” with two other officers “and initially refused to comply with their requests so that the assault case could be correctly filed,” according to the suspension records.
Nearly two weeks after that call, on May 8, 2021, Levi “sideswiped” a bicyclist, suspension records showed.
The investigation found that Levi did not fully stop at a red light, leading the cyclist to fall off the bike after colliding with the patrol car.
Levi assigned himself as the handling officer in the incident even though he was involved in the crash, the records showed.
“Officer Levi’s investigation lasted for only approximately 45 seconds,” according to the suspension document.
While reviewing Levi’s vehicle records, investigators also discovered several other traffic violations committed by Levi, including failing to stop at red lights.
Levi had worked for SAPD since 2016, city HR records show.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.