In Riverside, California, the local police department is embroiled in a legal battle over license plates. They are not plates that belong to citizens, but to three police department officers who are also military veterans, and have state issued disabled military veteran plates on their personal cars.
Those license plates, the department claims, were improperly obtained by officers Timothy Popplewell, Raymond Olivares and Richard Cranford. Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez has moved to fire the officers after questions were raised over how they can be disabled veterans while meeting the demands of being full-time officers on the force since 2019.
“Three Riverside police officers served our country and now their department wants to fire them. They're ready to work, fully fit for duty,” said attorney Matthew McNicholas, who represents the officers, in a video statement posted online that’s been shared with Military.com. “Their department saw the veteran plates on their cars and suddenly feels their disability status is a problem.”
According to McNicholas, the officers were suspended in May 2025, despite all three being rated 100% disabled by the Veterans Administration. That, in turn, gave them the legal right to apply for and obtain disabled military veteran license plates from the California Division of Motor Vehicles.
Months later, in July 2025, McNicholas filed a lawsuit on behalf of the officers against the police department for discrimination, alleging the officers were wrongfully suspended. Fast-forward to February 2026, and the officers were officially notified of the police department’s intent to terminate their employment after the Riverside, California, city council voted against settling the case.
“And why?” questioned McNicholas in his video statement posted to his social media account, ‘FirstRespondersLaw.’ “They are veterans who got injuries, and they happened to get the honor of a special plate from the California DMV.”
Officers' Lawsuit Claims Discrimination
The lawsuit, which has been reviewed by Military.com, states that when the officers were suspended, department officials told them they were being accused of making false claims about their physical limitations to obtain the plates, which allow special parking privileges and reduced fees.
McNicholas maintains the officers are being discriminated against, have made no false claims, and are disabled under the standards set by the Veterans Administration. McNicholas also maintains the officers are entitled to what’s called a Skelly hearing, where they can review and respond to evidence. To date, no such hearing has been held.
In a statement to Military.com, the Riverside Police Department, on behalf of Police Chief Larry Gonzalez, declined to discuss specific details of the case.
“I understand that you are attempting to obtain a statement from the department at this point regarding the ongoing Veterans case,” wrote Detective Steven Espinosa, the Riverside Police Department’s public information officer, in an email to Military.com. “At this time, the matter is ongoing, and we cannot comment on anything due to the confidential nature of the personnel action, which has not completed its process.”
Officers' Military Service Met VA Requirements
Officer Popplewell served in the U.S. Army from 2008 to 2011 and, like the other two officers, joined the department in 2019. He has served in the police department’s SWAT unit.
Officer Olivares was in the U.S. Marines from 2013 to 2019. He was in the police department’s Honor Guard at the time of his suspension.
Officer Cranford was in the Army from 2010 to 2014. He has also been a SWAT officer for the police department.
According to the VA’s eligibility protocols, a veteran is eligible for a disabled veteran license plate when a doctor, an optometrist, a chiropractor or another health care professional certifies that he has a severe mobility issue, has lost the use of a limb, has suffered permanent blindness or has otherwise been certified as 100% disabled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The 100% disabled certification appears to be the sticking point. The VA considers several illnesses and injuries, as well as mental health issues, in calculating a disability rating, according to its website. That rating leads to a disability certification and can also be used to determine monthly disability compensation from the VA.
Attorney McNicholas believes that how the VA determines disability can be misinterpreted.
“Their disability ratings are not the same as saying, ‘You are disabled for work,’” McNicholas said. “And the plates have no relevance to their jobs. These officers have done nothing wrong.”
Both the lawsuit and the officers’ Skelly hearings are pending. The matter could go to a jury trial. The officers remain on leave until their final employment status is determined.
“We have been fighting this fight. We tried to get the department to back off, and cut a fair deal, put them to work and no go,” said McNicholas. “We will fight until the end, and we will show a jury they have been greatly wronged.”
