Sonya Massey's family seeks legislation to prevent police from hiring officers with red flags
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Attorneys for Sonya Massey's family are urging state lawmakers to consider new legislation in her name, aimed at preventing police officers with red flags from getting hired, after a sheriff's deputy shot and killed her inside her home this summer, and was later charged with murder.
"We gotta catch the warning signs," said civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Attorneys for Massey's family said former Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson, who has been charged with her murder, was a ticking timebomb.
"The Sonya Massey Act will stop the ticking. It will stop the explosion," said attorney Tony Romanucci.
They're now pitching for potential legislative changes in Massey's name.
"We want to stop any police officer who does not deserve to wear the uniform or the badge, and certainly carry anything that's close to a deadly weapon," Romanucci said.
Romanucci envisioned an update to the SAFE-T Act – the criminal justice reform bill signed into law in Illinois in 2021. He recommended expanding an existing database used to track officer misconduct to include infractions like DUIs and speeding during police chases.
"What we aim to do with the Sonya Massey bill is caulk the Safe-T Act, so that a Sean Grayson does not happen again," he said.
Grayson worked for six departments in just four years, and had two DUI convictions.
"We want to create a waiting period, some quiet time, in between going from job to job, in order that we make it a requirement that a thorough and comprehensive background check is completed," Romanucci said.
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell, whose office hired Grayson, faced calls to step down over his handling of the Massey case. Last week, Campbell announced he would retire by the end of August.
Massey's family called Campbell's move to step down a first step.
"I personally feel that Sonya was failed by multiple systems and multiple people," said her uncle, Raymond Massey.
Attorney Ben Crump said he hopes to pitch legislation to Democratic lawmakers ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He also said he expects Vice President Kamala Harris to mention Massey by name during the convention.