Illinois now requires police agencies to check officers’ full hiring records

New law aims to close a deadly gap

Illinois now requires every law enforcement agency in the state to review a job applicant’s full employment history, including misconduct and disciplinary records, before making a hire.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1953 into law on Aug. 12, 2025, and it took effect Jan. 1, 2026. The bill passed the Illinois Senate 56-0 and the House 101-12, with strong support from both parties.

What agencies must do now

Before extending a final job offer, agencies must require applicants to sign a release letting all former employers turn over complete records.

Those records cover background investigations, fitness-for-duty exams, work performance, and any criminal, civil, or administrative investigations.

Former employers have 14 days to produce the records, with a possible 14-day extension.

Records must come over without redaction, except for Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and similar protected identifiers.

More counties get accountability boards

The law also lowers the population threshold that triggers a county requirement to maintain a police merit board.

That threshold drops from 1 million residents to 75,000. As a result, dozens more Illinois counties now must have a formal merit system for hiring sheriff’s personnel.

The change focuses on mid-size counties, where oversight has historically been less structured than in larger jurisdictions.

Protections built in for employers who share records

The law gives immunity from liability to former employers and their agents for disclosing records in good faith.

Existing collective bargaining agreements in place when the law was signed are exempt, but no new agreements that conflict with the law’s requirements can be created or extended.

If a former employer refuses to produce records, the hiring agency can ask a court to compel production and may recover attorney’s fees.

A fatal shooting set this in motion

On July 6, 2024, Sonya Massey, 36, called 911 to report a possible prowler outside her home near Springfield.

Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson and another deputy responded. The situation escalated inside Massey’s kitchen, and Grayson shot and killed the unarmed woman.

An Illinois State Police review later concluded Grayson’s use of deadly force was not justified. Her death sparked outrage and a push for reform that reached the state Capitol.

Grayson moved through six agencies in four years

Grayson had worked at six different law enforcement agencies in central Illinois between 2020 and 2024.

He had two prior misdemeanor DUI convictions from 2015 and 2016 in Macoupin County. He was discharged from the U.S. Army in 2016 for misconduct.

At the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, supervisors documented concerns about his conduct, including a high-speed chase in which he ignored orders to stop.

He was never formally disciplined beyond additional training.

Officers move between agencies with records unseen

Grayson’s case reflects a well-documented national pattern of officers moving from department to department without their misconduct records following them.

Before this law, Illinois agencies had no requirement to obtain or share full employment records when hiring from other departments.

A national database called the National Decertification Index tracks some problem officers, but its coverage is inconsistent, and Grayson had never been flagged in it.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police called Massey’s death “a devastating and avoidable tragedy.”

Jury convicted Grayson, judge gave max sentence

In October 2025, after a seven-day trial in Peoria County, a jury found Grayson guilty of second-degree murder.

He had been charged with first-degree murder, but the jury determined he held an unreasonable belief he was acting in self-defense.

On Jan. 29, 2026, Judge Ryan Cadigan sentenced Grayson to the maximum 20 years in prison, followed by two years of mandatory supervised release.

Grayson’s attorneys had asked for probation, but the judge rejected that request.

County paid $10 million to Massey’s family

In February 2025, the Sangamon County Board unanimously approved a $10 million settlement with Massey’s family.

Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci represented the family. The county administrator described it as the largest settlement in Sangamon County.

The county said it would pay the settlement from reserves and that it would not result in tax increases, new debt, or cuts to services.

DOJ stepped in and required new training

The U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and its dispatch system in November 2024.

In January 2025, the county reached an agreement with the DOJ requiring updated training on de-escalation, nondiscriminatory policing, and mental health crisis response.

The DOJ said it did not find evidence of discrimination, and the county did not admit liability. The agreement also calls for a mobile crisis team.

The county has two years to comply.

Leadership in Sangamon County changed fast

Former Sheriff Jack Campbell retired in August 2024 amid pressure from the governor, Massey’s family, and community members who criticized his decision to hire Grayson.

The county board appointed Paula Crouch, a retired Springfield Police lieutenant with nearly 30 years in law enforcement, as sheriff in September 2024.

A local panel called the Massey Commission was also established to recommend reforms to policing and county services.

Family hopes other states follow Illinois

State Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield), the bill’s chief sponsor, drafted the legislation after working with Massey’s family, the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

Massey’s family has said they hope Illinois can serve as an example for other states seeking to hold agencies accountable for their hiring decisions.

The law now applies to all law enforcement hiring in Illinois going forward.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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