SPRINGFIELD — Saying it was “the least political, but most politically important thing” she has done as a lawmaker, State Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, watched as Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Sonya Massey Act at the Capitol on Aug. 12.
Turner, a longtime friend of several generations of the Massey family on Springfield’s east side, sponsored the “one-of-a-kind” legislation that will provide a more comprehensive review of prospective law enforcement officers prior to being hired.
Pritzker signed the bill under the watchful eye of Donna Massey, the mother of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman and a mother of two children who was fatally shot inside her home by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy on July 6, 2024.
Sonya Massey’s father, James Wilburn of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and her two children, Malachi and Summer, both of Springfield, were also on hand, as was civil rights Ben Crump, who represented the Massey family in a $10 million civil settlement against Sangamon County.
Pritzker, who met with the Massey family last summer after the shooting, said Massey was in his thoughts on Tuesday.
“She loved and she was loved and was taken from us far too soon,” Pritzker said before the signing. “What we do today should serve as an example across the nation for other states and other jurisdictions.”
The measure, Pritzker added, is “to help prevent these tragedies, to better equip law enforcement to keep our communities safe, and to continue working to build a justice system that protects all of our citizens.”
Officers with histories of serious disciplinary issues “should not be serving in those capacities in our communities, and those histories should not come to light only after disaster happens,” Pritzker said.
Turner said she was especially proud to collaborate with the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association and the Illinois Chiefs of Police “to determine necessary guardrails to ensure we have good officers on our street protecting and serving our communities.”
Senate Bill 1953 ensures an officer’s fitness for duty as a police officer before making an offer of employment.
Turner’s law expands the creation of sheriff’s merit boards and sheriff’s merit commissions for counties with a population of at least 75,000.
The Illinois House and Illinois Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill with bipartisan support.
The hiring of Sean Grayson, charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Massey, has been called into question, from concerns about his conduct at past police positions to his two DUI convictions before he became a police officer.
Grayson responded to Massey’s home after a 911 call was placed with Sangamon County Dispatch regarding a prowler around the area.
Grayson, who has pleaded not guilty to all counts in the Massey case, is scheduled to stand trial in Peoria County on Oct. 20.
Turner said she spoke to Massey about a week before the fatal shooting.
Massey “was not just a constituent or someone I casually knew,” Turner said, adding she’s known several generations of Masseys.
Massey’s cousin, Sontae Massey, said he was elated about the signing, but “cautiously optimistic.”
“We will savor the small victories, but we understand that this is the beginning of an arduous journey for justice and equity,” he told The State Journal-Register.
ILACP Executive Director Kenny Winslow said the association “firmly believes there should be minimum background standards for individuals seeking to protect and serve our communities. We are one-step closer to ensuring that background checks will be more thorough and only those candidates of the highest moral character will be among the police force.“
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788: sspearie@sj-r.com: X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Gov. Pritzker signs ‘one-of-a-kind’ legislation in Sonya Massey Act
Reporting by Steven Spearie, Springfield State Journal- Register / State Journal-Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
