{"id":419794,"date":"2026-07-31T18:26:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T18:26:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/419794\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T18:26:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T18:26:21","slug":"appeals-court-reinstates-long-beach-officer-fired-for-misidentifying-gun-possession-suspect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/419794\/","title":{"rendered":"Appeals court reinstates Long Beach officer fired for misidentifying gun possession suspect"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Nathaniel Percy<br \/>Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.<\/p>\n<p>LONG BEACH, Calif. \u2014 The Long Beach Police Department must reinstate a police officer who was fired four years ago after he was accused of submitting a false police report, a state appeals court ruled this week.<\/p>\n<p>In a unanimous decision from the three-judge panel, it upheld previous rulings by a city employment panel and a lower court, which found that Officer Dedier Reyes did not intentionally falsify police reports related to a gun possession investigation in 2018, but rather, he \u201ctruthfully reported his mistaken recollection at the time he wrote the report,\u201d the appeals court ruling said.<\/p>\n<p>| RELATED: <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.police1.com\/real-time-policing\/choose-the-right-real-time-policing-model-for-your-agency?utm_source=article_inline&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Choose the right real-time policing model for your agency<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The decision means Long Beach must offer Reyes a job with the department that at least matches his previous role as a patrol officer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe City is disappointed with the Court of Appeal ruling,\u201d Long Beach City Attorney Dawn McIntosh said in a statement. \u201cWe will be reviewing the decision and determining next steps, but we do not intend to appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reyes\u2019 past with the department includes 14 use of force reviews and 11 citizen complaints, as well as involvement in two civil lawsuits that cost the city more than $1 million, according to court documents. Of Reyes\u2019 14 use-of-force reviews, all were determined to be within policy, the appeals court ruling states. None of the 11 citizen complaints were sustained.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes and his partner on the day of the gun investigation, David Salcedo, were fired in 2022, shortly after then-District Attorney George Gascon filed a charge of filing a false police report in relation to the arrests of a pair of gang members in 2018. Reyes faced an additional charge of perjury under oath. A jury acquitted the two men of those charges in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes then successfully appealed his termination before the Long Beach Civil Service Commission and was ordered to be reinstated in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The charges stemmed from an incident in which the two officers stopped at a taco restaurant in Long Beach after recognizing two gang members loitering outside. Reyes, who was training Salcedo, was accused of lying in the report when he claimed he saw one of the men go inside and leave a bag containing a gun.<\/p>\n<p>Surveillance video obtained days later contradicted Reyes\u2019 report, as it showed the other man leaving the bag inside the restaurant. Reyes would admit he never watched the surveillance video until it was shown to him in an internal affairs review, the appeals court documents say. He called the inaccuracy an honest mistake and said he had \u201cno axe to grind\u201d against the two men.<\/p>\n<p>The two officers continued working until Gascon filed the charges. Previous District Attorney Jackie Lacey had also reviewed the case and did not file charges against the two officers.<\/p>\n<p>Though they were acquitted, the charges cast doubt on other cases involving the two officers, with the city prosecutor\u2019s office at one point saying it was reviewing hundreds of cases involving them.<\/p>\n<p>It also called into question at least one conviction in which Reyes was named a victim and testified. In 2022, Miguel Vargas was released from custody after serving 10 years of a 39-year sentence for assault on a peace officer.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes had shot Vargas twice in the back after responding to a call of a woman with a gun outside a party. Vargas ran when he spotted the officers and Reyes testified during Vargas\u2019 trial that he saw Vargas turn toward him with the gun while running away, prompting Reyes to fire. However, Vargas\u2019 attorney said Vargas had ditched the gun 25 feet away and was unarmed when he was shot.<\/p>\n<p>Vargas then sued the city, leading to a $550,000 settlement.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes was also the subject of a second civil settlement for nearly $500,000 after he fractured the elbow of a man while detaining him in March 2018. Christopher Williams had been filming a fight outside a Long Beach bar along Pine Avenue and was checking on one of the participants when Reyes detained him, the lawsuit said. Williams was sat in the back of a police cruiser for more than an hour until an officer apologized and released him without medical attention, despite his request for it.<\/p>\n<p>The injury forced Williams to miss four months of work as a city bus driver.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes had also been suspended twice by the Long Beach Police Department prior to his firing, the appeals court ruling says.<\/p>\n<p>In 2009, he received a 10-day suspension after engaging in inappropriate conduct by becoming involved in a dispute with a woman in which Montebello police officers were called.<\/p>\n<p>Five years later, he received a 16-day suspension \u201cbased on several incidents in August and September 2014 of negligence and insubordination regarding administrative manners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"trending\" name=\"trending\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"\u2018An attempt to diminish the effectiveness of law enforcement&#039;: LE leaders oppose Calif. diversion bill\" href=\"https:\/\/www.police1.com\/legal\/an-attempt-to-diminish-the-effectiveness-of-law-enforcement-le-leaders-oppose-calif-diversion-bill\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"US-NEWS-LAW-ENFORCEMENT-DISTRICT-ATTORNEYS-OPPOSE-1-SA.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785522378_109_.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n        If passed, AB 2108 would require courts statewide to dismiss action against certain theft offenders if they successfully complete diversion programs\n    <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"BWC: Man raises handgun, points it at Calif. officers before fatal OIS\" href=\"https:\/\/www.police1.com\/officer-shootings\/bwc-man-raises-handgun-points-it-at-calif-officers-before-fatal-ois\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"Screenshot 2026-07-29 173323.png\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785522379_117_.png\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n        Fresno police said the suspect ignored repeated commands to drop his handgun, told officers he did not want to return to jail and later fired two shots during the confrontation\n    <\/p>\n<p>July 29, 2026 05:48 PM<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Man who called in death threats to FBI office located with help from his caller ID\" href=\"https:\/\/www.police1.com\/FBI\/man-who-called-in-death-threats-to-fbi-office-located-with-help-from-his-caller-id\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"Iran US Counterintelligence\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785522380_181_.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n        The man was identified through caller ID when he placed a call to the FBI\u2019s Pendleton office saying, \u201cAll officers and agents in your resident office will be killed within the next 30 minutes. Have a good day.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"The Leadership Beat: \u2018A new chief\u2019s first responsibility is to understand the organization before trying to change it\u2019\" href=\"https:\/\/www.police1.com\/police-leader-playbook\/the-leadership-beat-a-new-chiefs-first-responsibility-is-to-understand-the-organization-before-trying-to-change-it\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"Leader Beat DS.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785522380_829_.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n        Liberty Lake Police Chief Damon Simmons shares the practical steps he took during his first year as chief \u2014 from one-on-one meetings with every employee to developing a long-term strategic vision\n    <\/p>\n<p>July 29, 2026 06:25 PM<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 2026 Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.. Visit <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.presstelegram.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">www.presstelegram.com<\/a>. <br \/>Distributed by <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tribunecontentagency.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Tribune Content Agency, LLC.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"company-news\" name=\"company-news\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Manurhin Commemorates America\u2019s 250th Anniversary with the Limited-Edition MR73 Liberty Revolver\" href=\"https:\/\/www.police1.com\/police-products\/firearms\/manurhin-commemorates-americas-250th-anniversary-with-the-limited-edition-mr73-liberty-revolver\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"Screenshot 2026-07-24 181424.png\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784963659_854_.png\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n        Designed as both a collector\u2019s piece and a high-performance revolver, the Liberty edition introduces exclusive features never before offered on the MR73\n    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Nathaniel PercyPress-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif. LONG BEACH, Calif. \u2014 The Long Beach Police Department must reinstate a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":419795,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":["post-419794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/419795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}