By Black Star News
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed the Sonya Massey Police Reform Bill, a new law requiring stricter background checks hires for hiring police officers The law will start taking effect Jan 1.
In signing the legislation, Governor Pritzker said, “This is an important day for everyone who cares about public safety and accountability in the State of Illinois. Indeed, perhaps across the country. We’re undertaking a big step forward that will make our community safer and better connected., And in doing so, we honor and remember those we have lost and those who have suffered along the way to get us here…With my signature today, we’ll begin making fundamental reforms to the hiring process for law enforcement officers across the State of Illinois. 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. Hiring and interview procedures will now include a comprehensive review of prospective officers’ previous employment, seeking to confirm their physical and psychological ability to do the job.”
The legislation is named after Sonya Massey, 36, a mother of two children, who was killed on July 6, 2024, inside her home—by Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean P. Grayson. Massey had called police about a possible intruder invading her home. After responding officers found no one, an argument between Grayson and Massey ensued when officers asked Massey to take care of a pot of boiling water on the stove. For some reason, the officers decided they should be fearful of Massey, because of the pot of boiling water.
Before fatally shooting her to death, Deputy Grayson told Massey, “I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you right in your fucking face.” Grayson shot Massey three times.
After the killing, it was revealed that Deputy Grayson had worked for six different Illinois police departments in a four year period. Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum questioned this, in a interview with AP News, when he said, “Six jobs in four years should have raised a red flag. And you would ask why he wasn’t hired full-time in any of those (part-time) jobs. Combined with a track record of DUIs, it would be enough to do further examination as to whether or not he would be a good fit.”
Governor Pritzker also noted the irony of Sonia Massey being killed by those she called for help.
“Today I’m thinking of Sonya Massey. Our hearts break for her children and family, her friends, this community. She loved, and she was loving, taken from us far too soon. What happened to her was the very definition of injustice. We can’t bring her back, but we can let her spirit guide us to action. When Sonya Massey feared for her safety, she did what anyone would do. She called for help. That became a death sentence for her.”
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