Illinois Governor Pritzker Signs Sonya Massey Law to Improve Police Hiring Process in the State

CHICAGO (August 12, 2025) – Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed into law today a pivotal piece of legislation to improve transparency when law enforcement officers are hired in Illinois, making it mandatory for an applicant to disclose personnel files from all prior departments when seeking a new policing job. The bill passed in the Spring of 2025 and was sponsored by state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, and state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago. The bill was in response to the senseless 2024 murder of Sangamon County resident Sonya Massey. Massey's family was present for the signing into law.

Continuing the fight for safer and more equitable policing in Illinois, the new law requires the release of personnel records between law enforcement agencies and hiring boards prior to the hiring of police or law enforcement officers. If this measure had been in place prior to Sean Grayson’s hiring, Sonya Massey would be alive today. Sonya Massey’s loved ones and other stakeholders fought hard for this reform and will continue to pursue changes in states across the country, using Illinois as a leader in police reform.

The new law 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 Illinois Attorney General’s Office and numerous law enforcement organizations. It was passed with strong bipartisan support in the House and Senate.

Civil Attorneys for the Massey family, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, said, “At a time in American history when hard-fought recent police reforms are now being challenged and reversed, we applaud the Illinois legislature for taking a leadership role in commonsense policing that will better communities across the state. Sonya Massey’s tragic killing never had to happen. The Sangamon County deputy who shot her had a personal and professional history that should have eliminated him as a candidate for a law enforcement job. We hope the loss of her life and this new important law together save other lives in the future.”

Sonya Massey’s father, James Wilburn, said, "It is my hope that Illinois can lead the nation in commonsense policing so that when an officer goes from department to department, their record goes with them.  We believe the Sonya Massey Law will improve the quality of law enforcement officers across Illinois who are given a badge and a gun, and that our communities will be better for it. This law should be an important step toward restoring precious trust between police and communities, particularly communities of color."