Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
2w ago

Pritzker Signs Sonya Massey Act Overhauling Police Hiring in Illinois

The law mandates unredacted disclosure of prior employment records to address gaps that allowed officers with misconduct histories to move between agencies

Donna Massey, mother of Sonya Massey, listens to Gov. JB Pritzker speak to reporters in the state Capitol, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Springfield, Ili. (John O'Connor/AP)
Gov. JB Pritzker speaks to reporters in the state Capitol, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Springfield, Ili. (John O'Connor/AP)
Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, talks to reporters at the state Capitol, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Springfield, Ili. (John O'Connor/AP)
Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, talks to reporters at the state Capitol, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Springfield, Ili. (John O'Connor/AP)

Overview

  • The Sonya Massey Act, signed on August 12, requires candidates to waive confidentiality so past employers must release unredacted records including job performance reports, fitness-for-duty exams, court documents and nondisclosure agreements
  • The measure won near-unanimous support in the Illinois Legislature, passing the Senate unanimously and the House by a 101-12 margin
  • The law takes effect January 1, 2026, giving law enforcement agencies time to adjust hiring procedures and establish judicial channels to obtain sealed or withheld documents
  • Legislative sponsors said the reform responds to failures in information sharing that let former Sangamon County deputy Sean Grayson—who had multiple disciplinary issues and two DUIs—move between departments
  • Grayson, charged with first-degree murder in Sonya Massey’s July 2024 shooting, has pleaded not guilty and is slated for trial in Peoria County in October after Sangamon County approved a $10 million settlement with Massey’s family