The way this whole situation has developed in Riverside is almost unyieldingly outdated. Three sets of license plates, a police chief, and a few officers have somehow turned into a public altercation that no one at city hall seems willing to discuss on camera. Since making his decision on April 28, 2026, Chief Larry Gonzalez has been cautious in his remarks. He claims to have carried out a comprehensive investigation. He claims it was grounded in reality. He won’t say much more.
Three of the officers are veterans: Richard Cranford, Raymond Olivares, and Timothy Popplewell. The Department of Veterans Affairs has given all three a 100% disability rating. In 2019, all three became members of the Riverside force. They are two SWAT veterans. One was in the Honor Guard of the department. By most standards, they are not marginal workers. However, they were put on leave in May of last year, filed a lawsuit against the city in July, and are now unemployed while their lawyers prepare for what appears to be a protracted legal battle.
| Subject | Larry Gonzalez — Police Chief, Riverside Police Department |
| Position | Chief of Police, City of Riverside, California |
| Action Taken | Terminated three patrol officers on April 28, 2026 |
| Officers Involved | Timothy Popplewell, Raymond Olivares, Richard Cranford |
| Issue at Center | Disabled military veteran license plates on officers’ personal vehicles |
| Officers’ Service | All three joined Riverside PD in 2019; prior U.S. military service |
| VA Disability Rating | All three were rated 100% disabled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs |
| Lawsuit Filed | July 2025, alleging discrimination based on disabled veteran status |
| Notices of Intent to Terminate | February 25, 2026 |
| Skelly Hearing Date | April 21, 2026 |
| Termination Date | April 28, 2026 |
| Status | Discrimination lawsuit pending; possible jury trial |
Strangely enough, the tiny metal rectangle fastened to the rear of their individual vehicles serves as the trigger. Veterans with disabilities in California are eligible for reduced fees and parking exemptions. After the VA verified their eligibility, the officers lawfully obtained them through the DMV. Matthew McNicholas, their attorney, has been direct about this. He insists that having a 100% rating does not equate to being incapable of working. It doesn’t address whether someone can track down a suspect on a Tuesday afternoon; rather, it is a computation based on a number of service-related factors, some of which are visible and some of which are not.
Observing this from the outside gives the impression that the chief has a different perspective. Gonzalez has framed the question as how the officers obtained the plates rather than whether they are disabled. Depending on who is listening, that distinction either matters or doesn’t. It sounds like splitting hairs to the union. It sounds like accountability to the department’s leadership. The firings became almost inevitable after the city council reportedly rejected a settlement in closed session earlier this year.
It’s difficult to ignore the larger picture. Popplewell was the officer captured on camera smashing a resident’s skateboard in January 2025. The incident went viral, resulted in misdemeanor vandalism charges, and was ultimately settled through diversion. Whether anyone wants it or not, that episode looms in the background of this one. A department is already under investigation, according to critics. Three veterans are being singled out by defenders for awards given to them by the state.
By all accounts, the Skelly hearing on April 21 was short. The officers had an opportunity to retaliate. Gonzalez paid attention. The terminations stopped a week later. Everyone is now waiting for the lawsuit, a jury trial, or a settlement that didn’t occur the first time. Veterans’ advocacy organizations are keeping an eye on the case because it poses a more subdued and difficult question that cities nationwide may eventually have to address: what does it mean when an employee is “fully able” by one government agency’s standards and “disabled” by another?
Whether Riverside’s strategy will withstand legal scrutiny is still up in the air. McNicholas has been making appearances on talk shows and uploading videos, portraying the situation as discriminatory. Behind the wall of personnel-matter confidentiality, the city has, predictably, gone silent. The real answer is somewhere in between those two positions, and it most likely won’t come to light for months.
The peculiarity of the whole thing is what remains. Three plates, three officers, and a chief who asserts that the facts speak for themselves. As is frequently the case, the facts continue to disagree with one another.