Two Long Beach police officers were arrested Friday on charges that they falsified police reports about a gun arrest almost four years ago.
Dedier Reyes, a 16-year veteran of the LBPD, was booked on suspicion of one count of perjury, one count of filing a false police report and one count of filing a false government document, police said. David Salcedo, a 5-year veteran, was booked on suspicion of one count of filing a false police report and one count of filing a false government document, according to the LBPD.
Police said the alleged crimes stem from a February 2018 firearms arrest that fell apart when detectives compared Reyes’ and Salcedo’s police reports against surveillance video.
“Through their review, detectives learned that the officers’ actions were inconsistent with their written reports,” the LBPD said in a news release sent just before 9 p.m. Friday. “The arrested subject was immediately released, and charges were not filed against him.”
Police declined to provide any more details about how their reports were inconsistent with the video. However, the department decided the situation was not serious enough to prevent Reyes and Salcedo from doing their jobs.
“A preliminary review of the investigation did not initially warrant the officers to be removed from their work,” LBPD spokesman Richard Mejia said in an email.
Eleven months later, in January 2019, Long Beach police finished their criminal investigation into what happened and presented their findings to prosecutors at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. On Friday, arrest warrants were issued for the two officers, police said.
It wasn’t immediately clear why there was an almost three-year gap between police finishing their criminal investigation and authorities obtaining arrest warrants. In that time, however, Los Angeles County elected District Attorney George Gascón, who ran to replace then-DA Jackie Lacey on a platform of police reform and accountability. Gascón also charged an LAPD motorcycle officer last month for allegedly filing a false report about a traffic stop.
Reyes and Salcedo both voluntarily surrendered to be arrested Friday, police said. Arrest records show Reyes was booked into jail around 5:30 p.m. and released less than an hour later. Police said his bail was set at $2. Salcedo was arrested at 7:37 p.m. and released within an hour, records show. His bail was set at $1, according to police. Booking records say they’re both facing felony-level charges.
The LBPD suspended Reyes and Salcedo after learning the DA’s office intended to charge them, Mejia said. Until then, both officers were assigned to patrol duties in the city’s southern division, according to the department.
“We have high standards and expectations of every employee,” Police Chief Robert Luna said in a statement. “When the actions of an individual employee erode the values of our organization, and the public trust all of us have worked so hard to cultivate, we all must be held accountable.”
Long Beach police said they’re currently reviewing Reyes’ and Salcedo’s other arrests and reports.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information from LBPD spokesman Richard Mejia.
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