Officer Carl Levitt

Officer Carl Levitt patrols the periphery of the 12th Precinct's detective squad, forever angling to be taken seriously as more than a uniform. He's officious, thin-skinned, and quick to remind anyone within earshot of his commendations and arrest record. He wants respect, rank, and a desk among the detectives — and he wants it now.

The joke is that nobody can stand him, and the show never lets that soften into affection too easily — his neediness stays a little exhausting, which is what makes him funny. Ron Carey plays the puffed-up self-regard with real precision, so Levitt's small indignities land as character rather than caricature.