A Sangamon County Board member on Aug. 20 withdrew, for the time being, her formal proposal for a series of reforms that would increase scrutiny and oversight of the hiring of new sheriff’s deputies.
Springfield Democrat Gina Lathan said the actions called for in her resolution – drafted in the wake of the July 6 officer-involved shooting death of Woodside Township resident Sonya Massey – would best be carried out by the citizen group known as the Massey Commission.
“I really wanted to move this process forward,” Lathan, the board’s District 22 representative, told Illinois Times after a meeting of the board’s jail committee at which she withdrew the resolution from active consideration. “I want to improve the current system and ensure that it is transparent,” she said.
Lathan said the Massey Commission appears to be the best place to solicit “resources and community input” for proposals in the resolution. The commission is expected to receive an initial appropriation of $100,000 from the County Board.
If it doesn’t look like the resolution’s goals will be achieved through the work of the commission, Lathan pledged to bring the proposal back to the jail committee and the full County Board.
A different resolution, this one setting in motion the commission’s creation, is scheduled for a vote at the board’s Sept. 10 meeting.
The commission is one way Sangamon County officials are trying to address the many issues raised by the death of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman with a mental illness. The single mother of two was shot in the face and killed by a white sheriff’s deputy, Sean Grayson, 30, in her home after she thought there was a prowler around her home and called 911.
Sheriff Jack Campbell hired Grayson despite problems at his previous policing jobs – some of which Campbell said he knew nothing about – and after Grayson received a good reference from his future father-in-law, a retired former deputy in the sheriff’s department.
Grayson has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in the incident, which was captured on an accompanying deputy’s body-worn camera. Grayson has been denied pretrial release and is being held in the Menard County Jail in Petersburg.
County Board Chairperson Andy Van Meter, a Springfield Republican, and state Sen. Doris Turner, a Springfield Democrat, announced formation of the Massey commission Aug. 16.
The commission will have three co-chairs: Dr. Jerry Kruse, dean and provost of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine; the Rev. T. Ray McJunkins, pastor of Union Baptist Church; and Nina Harris, former Springfield Urban League president.
The three co-chairs will select the other members of the commission, which will contain no elected officials. According to the proposed resolution to be considered in September, the panel will come up with “some actionable recommendations” within six months and produce a final report and full list of proposals within one year, according to the resolution.
A news release unveiling the commission said the group will recommend policy changes and other measures to “address the issues of race relations and systemic racism, and to examine associated issues in law enforcement practices, mental health responses and community relations.”
Those wanting to serve on the commission can apply online at SangamonIL.gov/MasseyCommission, with an application deadline of 5 p.m. Aug. 30.
Turner, a former County Board member, said she hopes the commission honors Massey’s life “by finding solutions to advance our community.”
County Board member Marc Ayers, a Springfield Democrat, said he is considering proposing an amendment to the resolution so it would require county government to pay for a private, outside organization to investigate the circumstances surrounding Grayson’s hiring.
Such an investigation would supplement a previously announced U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Massey’s death, Ayers said.
The resolution that Lathan withdrew called upon the sheriff to put in place “more stringent hiring practices.” The proposal would expand the oversight role of the Sangamon County Deputy Merit Commission and require background checks to include Freedom of Information Act requests for personnel files from previous employers.
The resolution would disqualify applicants with two or more DUI convictions in a 10-year period – a situation that applied to Grayson – as well as an independent, outside review of hiring practices and improvements in the department’s procedures for handling “critical incidents to restore public trust.”
Several local residents attending the jail committee meeting, including Evan Brown and Breonna Roberts, said they would like to see Lathan’s resolution adopted by the County Board now so the community won’t have to wait months for changes.
“How can we expect to improve public safety if we continue to hire based on family ties instead of merit, character and qualifications?” Roberts asked. “To prevent future tragedies, we must implement robust and transparent background checks that dig deeper than surface-level examination.”
Brown said, “The culture of law enforcement is rotten.”
Campbell, 60, a Republican in his second four-year term as the elected sheriff, faced calls for his resignation in the wake of Massey’s death, including from Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. After initially saying those calls were “political maneuvering,” Campbell announced Aug. 9 he would retire, effective no later than Aug. 31.
Van Meter said Aug. 19 that he has created a committee to review applications and participate in the interview and nomination process for a new sheriff who would serve until Campbell’s term is up in fall 2026.
State law calls for Campbell’s replacement to be hired within 60 days after he leaves. Between the time Campbell retires and the County Board names a new sheriff, Coroner Jim Allmon will add the role of sheriff to his duties.
The law requires Campbell’s replacement for the remainder of his term to be associated with his political party, a resident of Sangamon County for a year or more, not be a convicted felon, and have successfully completed law enforcement training.
The review committee will be headed by retired Circuit Court judge Pat Kelley; two County Board members, Republican Joel Tjelmeland and Democrat Linda Douglas-Williams; First Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Beth Rogers; retired deputy Chico Belle; and former County Board member Catie Sheehan, the SIU System’s executive director of marketing and communications.
County Board member Sam Cahnman, a Springfield Democrat representing District 18, said in a statement that he was “pleased County Board Chair Andy Van Meter accepted my suggestion” to create a special committee to assist him in picking a replacement for Campbell.
But Cahnman added, “I am disappointed that this committee of five Republicans and two Democrats does not include any members of social-justice groups or members of Sonya Massey’s family” and doesn’t include people representing the Public Defender’s office and private defense lawyers.
When asked his reaction to Cahnman’s suggested additions to the review committee, Van Meter said in a statement: “Sam would find fault with a committee composed of Confucius, Socrates, Gandhi, the Biblical Ruth, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela.”
Cahnman tried unsuccessfully to get the County Board to put a binding referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot that would give voters the ability to oust future sheriffs through a recall election.
