The family of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman fatally shot by police in July 2024, is advocating for legislative changes to address issues related to problematic police officers transferring between departments.
This push highlights ongoing concerns about the effectiveness of current regulations in preventing officers with troubling histories from being rehired.
Sonya Massey’s father, James Wilburn, has called for reforms to the Illinois Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act, arguing that its provisions could have prevented his daughter’s death.
The SAFE-T Act, enacted by Governor JB Pritzker in 2021, aimed to address police misconduct by expanding the grounds for officer decertification. This legislation allows for decertification based on a range of misconduct, including tampering with evidence or failing to provide aid after using force.
Despite these provisions, Wilburn believes further amendments are needed. The case in question involves Sean Grayson, the officer who fatally shot Massey on July 6, 2024.
Prior to his employment with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department in May 2023, Grayson had a history of problematic behavior, including multiple prior law enforcement positions, drunk-driving convictions, and a discharge from the U.S. Army for “serious misconduct.”
Wilburn has urged state Senator Doris Turner to introduce new legislation—tentatively named “The Sonya Massey Bill”—to prevent officers who resign under pressure from securing positions with new departments.
Turner, a self-identified family friend, has acknowledged the complexity of such legislative changes. She noted that the SAFE-T Act includes a process called discretionary decertification, which allows the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board to investigate misconduct complaints.
As of April 2024, there have been no cases of discretionary decertification under the SAFE-T Act’s expanded criteria.
The nonprofit Impact for Equity reported that no officers have been subject to this process since its introduction. Critics argue that officers with problematic records, like Grayson, represent a broader issue of “wandering officers” who move between departments without adequate oversight.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police has underscored the importance of thorough vetting for police officers, particularly those with frequent job changes.
The organization has stressed that such patterns should trigger closer scrutiny regarding an officer’s fitness for duty.
“The shooting underscores the need for police agencies to rigorously vet potential hires,” stated the Association. “Frequent job changes by a police officer should raise significant concerns about their suitability for the policing profession.”
