Buckner Takes the Lead on Law Enforcement Hiring Reform in Response to 2024 Murder of Sonya Massey

CHICAGO – State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, is leading the House efforts to reform law enforcement hiring practices in response to the 2024 murder of Sangamon County-resident Sonya Massey.

“Last year, Sonya Massey lost her life because our process for hiring law enforcement has fundamental flaws,” Buckner said. “The man responsible for her murder concealed serious indiscretions and, as a result, he was given a badge, which he used to gain entry to Sonya Massey’s house, and a gun, which he used to shoot her. Reforms we are putting in place will close the loophole that put Sean Grayson, a person clearly unfit to be a member of law enforcement, in a position to perpetrate this tragedy.”

Continuing his record of fighting for safer and more equitable policing in Illinois, Buckner is sponsoring Senate Bill 1953. This measure requires the release of personnel records between law
enforcement agencies and hiring boards prior to the hiring of police or law enforcement officers.

Senate Bill 1953 was written with input from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois Sheriffs Association. It has the support of the ACLU, the Attorney General’s Office and numerous law enforcement organizations. Senate Bill 1953 was passed with unanimous support in the Senate and is currently being considered in the House.

“When we talk about fighting for equity in policing, policies like this are what we should be focused on,” Buckner said. “It’s encouraging that law enforcement leaders have shown their commitment to getting bad officers like Sean Grayson off the streets and put a stop to more tragedies like this.”