Massey Commission edges toward systemic change

State Sen. Doris Turner and Yale Law School lecturer Jorge Camacho joined the Massey Commission at the BOS Center in Springfield, May 19, to discuss legislative updates and new reform recommendations for Sangamon County.

The commission, formed in response to last summer’s shooting death of Sonya Massey by Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, has been meeting since the fall to analyze areas and practices needing improvement within Sangamon County and statewide. The subjects being studied include law enforcement hiring, law enforcement training and cultural competency, integrating mental health services in emergency response situations, community education on health, wellness and safety, and economic disparities and service accessibility. 

Each of these areas was identified as contributing factors leading to Massey’s death on July 6, 2024. 

The commission identified five actions it wants to see implemented – a pathway to recall sheriffs and other local elected officials, an overseeing mental health board, police hiring reforms, independent investigative bodies and antiracism training for public officials. 

At the May 19 meeting, Commissioner Veronica Espina said the group’s work is about addressing a system that harms many Illinois residents, especially those in the most vulnerable communities. 

“What we do here must echo beyond these chambers into our hospitals, our jails, our schools and our neighborhoods … because justice for Sonya Massey is not just about one case. It’s about building a Sangamon County where everyone, regardless of language, status or circumstances, can be safe, can be heard, and can be loved.”

Turner, D-Springfield, appeared in person to provide updates about two bills she sponsored in response to Massey’s killing. 

Senate Bill 1953, which passed both houses and is awaiting a signature from Gov. JB Pritzker, would reform the hiring process for prospective police officers. With input and consideration from various law enforcement organizations across Illinois, the bill requires law enforcement agencies to obtain a signed release from applicants, allowing access to prior employment records, background investigations and fitness-for-duty evaluations without redaction, including nondisclosure agreements. The bill also establishes procedures for requesting records, deadlines for compliance, and penalties for noncompliance, while updating immunity provisions for entities providing information. 

The measure also requires cities of at least 75,000 to adopt a police merit system for officers. The current population threshold is 1 million.

“The main thing that ran through my mind when everything was happening was that Sean Grayson should never have been given a badge and a gun,” said Turner. “So I was like, OK, what can we do to ensure that that doesn’t happen again, that anyone else who should not have a badge, should not have a gun, be excluded from that profession.”

Senate Bill 1954, which passed the Senate but was stalled in the House last week, then sent back to the House Rules Committee, aims to give clear legal avenues for counties to recall county elected officials by way of referendum or petition. Since its introduction by Turner, the bill has been watered down by amendments and pushback so that now it only applies to Sangamon County instead of statewide. Additionally, if passed, the recall measure would still need to be implemented via popular vote by Sangamon residents on the 2026 ballot.

“[SB-1954] only affects Sangamon County, and the decision will be on the November 2026 ballot on whether Sangamon County wants to have the ability to recall countywide officials,” said Turner. “It would not apply to treasurers, because there’s already a provision where they can be recalled. It also does not apply to regional superintendents because they represent more than one county.”

Turner said this week that while she is committed to getting the bill passed, she has little control over it once it leaves the Senate. However, she told Illinois Times, the bill is still alive and Gov. Pritzker has expressed his willingness to sign it if it makes it to his desk. “I am committed to getting it over the finish line,” Turner said, “whether that is during this session or the veto session we have coming up.”

The bill stems from the initial reluctance of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell to step down in the wake of Massey’s death. Even though Campbell eventually gave in to mounting pressure and stepped down, Turner says the bill is meant to give citizens a way to remove an elected official without having to wait until the next election cycle. 

“If it passes, we’re off to the races…if it doesn’t, the bill sunsets Jan. 1 of 2027,” said Turner. “So, there’s work to do once the bill is passed and signed by the governor. There would be a petition signed by several people, equal to at least 15% of the total votes cast for governor in the county in the last gubernatorial election. And once that petition is out there, you would have 150 days to provide notice of intent to enact a recall of a county-wide official.”

Camacho, director of Yale Law School’s Justice Collaboratory, followed Turner’s segment via Zoom by sharing his own questions and insights from his research on police training and practices. He noted difficulty in finding consistent data on how police departments handle race and bias-related training, due to a lack of statewide standards. 

Camacho raised questions about whether law enforcement training initiatives worked long-term and not just in the short term. Were these antiracism training seminars engaging, and did they require officers to show they understood the material through participation? Or did they view online videos where participants could just show up and get credit after it’s done, without understanding what was taught? 

“Training is most effective when the culture of the department continually reinforces that training,” said Camacho. “What I often tell people is, I believe good training works because I’ve seen bad training work. What I mean by that is a lot of times, when you see the worst of the worst officers doing whatever it is they’re doing, you can link that back to either a deficiency in training or training that specifically told them the wrong thing.”

The Massey Commission’s next full meeting is scheduled for June 16, 6 p.m. at the Salvation Army center, 1600 E Clear Lake Ave, Springfield. 

Until then, three focused work groups are scheduled to meet and discuss their findings. On June 2, the Law Enforcement Hiring, Training, Wellness and Cultural Competency Workgroup will meet at 5:30 p.m. at CAP 1908, 1100 S Grand Ave East, Springfield. The Economic Disparities and Service Accessibility Workgroup of the Massey Commission at 6 p.m. at Resource One, 133 South 4th Street, Suite 306, Springfield. 

On June 10, the Integrated Mental Health Services and Emergency Response Workgroup will meet at 5:30 p.m. at CAP 1908, 1100 S Grand Ave East, Springfield. 

More information about the Massey Commission and its six-month report can be found at: https://sangamonil.gov/departments/a-c/county-board/massey-commission/home. 

This article appears in May 29 – Jun 4, 2025.