As in, no, the union didn't overstep its bounds by offering financial help to the family of murder victim Kyle Staheli.
As in, no, the union wasn't wrong for hiring private investigators to snoop on County Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald.
As in, no, the coroner's inquest system, which has absolved all but one cop in decades of investigating officer-involved fatalities, doesn't need retooling.
In the cases of Staheli (murdered on May 14) and Boggs McDonald (accused of living outside of her district), the outgoing PPA executive director says the union did what any good citizen should if given the chance: butt in for the greater good.
"We feel obligated to confront wrong," says Kallas, whose 2,500-member union represents rank-and-file cops, city and municipal marshals and corrections officers.
Kallas finds it unconscionable that the family of 17-year-old Swuave Lopez would file a wrongful death lawsuit against Metro. Cops fatally shot Lopez, a suspect in Staheli's murder, after he slipped out of a squad car and fled.
"Why should the Lopez family profit? Staheli is the victim. Our officers have been victimized, criticized and chastised," Kallas says.
Others might find it unconscionable that the union, whose 46-page bylaws spell out its duties—among other things, representing membership before arbitrators, labor and civil service boards and educating the public about law-enforcement labor issues—would inject itself into matters that don't expressly concern the rank-and-file cops, municipal marshals and corrections officers it represents. One former cop says the PPA is doing its membership a disservice by sticking its nose in non-cop-related business: "They don't impact officers, per se."
Kallas says the whole rumor about the PPA financing a lawsuit against the Lopez family was misconstrued by the media. "I never talked about hiring a lawyer. Civil litigation can cost tens of thousands of dollars and my board wouldn't approve this," he says. "I told a third-party if the [Staheli] family had an issue with Metro settling the case, we might be able to offer some financial help, maybe a couple thousand dollars. The [Staheli] family called and we talked on the phone and they didn't want to pursue this. I have a real problem if Metro settles. [Metro officials say there's no such agreement.] If your kid commits a crime, you should be liable."
Broach the Boggs McDonald issue—two months of footage, shot by an investigator hired by the PPA and the Culinary Union, allegedly shows her living in District C when she represents District F—and, again, Kallas will tell you the PPA was confronting wrongdoing: "When we see someone in a position of trust, who is violating that trust, why wouldn't we get involved? We can't ignore it if someone is doing something wrong."
And, no, Boggs McDonald wasn't targeted. The unions did what any good, decent citizen should do, presuming that citizen could hire a gumshoe and file a lawsuit to get Boggs McDonald tossed from the ballot. And, no, her case isn't like the typical carpetbagging allegations common in most campaigns.
"It wasn't the same thing as the Chris Guinchigliani and Myrna Williams race [for County Commission], which was typical political fodder," he says.
On the one issue that directly impacts his members—toughening the coroner's inquest (recommended changes to the process include allowing family members of the deceased to question officers and replacing hearing masters with judges), an issue that can go a long way to inspiring confidence in police—Kallas is decidedly lukewarm. The recommendations aren't necessary, but he'll support them.
"Who says there's a problem with the current system? Is the community unhappy with the system?" he asks. "I would argue that the overwhelming majority of the people don't know about the system, so they can't be unhappy with it. I think maybe 8 percent of the population has a problem with it, which is a small percentage."
Kallas makes no apologies for championing a 26.5 percent spike in salaries and benefits for officers last year. "It's what we felt we deserved."
When asked how he chooses the issues the PPA tackles, Kallas says it's about doing what's best for the membership. "A demoralized force leads to people not serving and protecting, not enforcing traffic laws, not arresting people who are committing crimes," he says. "Instead, they're worried about what their boss is going to do to them today. Associations, ours or anyone else's, are in place to make sure there is a system of checks and balances."