SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, Sangamon County, and the Sangamon County Central Dispatch System following the police killing of Sonya Massey.
In a letter dated Thursday, the DOJ's Civil Rights Division said it is looking to see if the county agencies violated federal nondiscrimination requirements.
The DOJ letter was shared publicly by a Sangamon County spokesman.
Former Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson was charged for the murder of Sonya Massey in July. Body-worn camera footage was released from a 911 call that showed Grayson shooting Massey during an exchange over a pot of water in her home. After the shooting, he failed to give Massey medical help.
Grayson is in jail awaiting a pre-trial release hearing in December.
The DOJ said it reviewed reports into Massey's death.
"The incident raises serious concerns about SCSO’s interactions with Black people and people with behavioral health disabilities, as well as SCSO’s policies, practices, procedures, and training regarding community policing, bias-free policing, response to behavioral health crises, use of force, de-escalation, affirmative duty to intervene, affirmative duty to render medical aid, and body-worn camera (“BWC”) policies and compliance," the letter said.
The letter also said the DOJ was concerned about how previous 911 calls involving Massey were handled. The letter also raised concerns about hiring practices and a lack of diversity within the sheriff's department. "DOJ has reviewed reports concerning SCSO’s employment practices, including allegations that a lack of racial diversity at SCSO impacts SCSO’s provision of policing services in communities of color," the letter said. "These allegations collectively raise concerns of race and disability discrimination prohibited by Title VI, the Safe Streets Act, and Title II."
The DOJ has requested a multitude of information from the county including: organization charts for all three agencies with their chain of command structure, information on county ADA coordinators, and all documents related to Sonya Massey. In total, there are 28 items the DOJ wants from the county agencies.
Massey's death led to the retirement of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell. The Massey Commission was formed to examine matters related to her death and provide recommendations for improvement in four areas: law enforcement hiring and training, mental health services and emergency response, community education on public health and safety, and economic disparities and service accessibility.
JoAnn Johnson, co-chair of the Massey Commission for Sangamon County gave the following statement:
"We have shared the copy of the letter from the Department of Justice to Sangamon County with all of the commissioners and the co-leads of our Law Enforcement Hiring, Training, Wellness and Cultural Competency Workgroup. We strongly encourage the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department, Emergency Telephone System Department and State's Attorney's Office to answer all of the Department of Justice's questions in the letter so that we can all understand what exactly happened before, during and after Sonya Massey was killed by a Sangamon County deputy. These answers will help inform our work as we continue to research reform ideas and recommendations at the Massey Commission to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again."
Current Sangamon County Sheriff Paula Crouch welcomed the DOJ investigation. Crouch said her office and the county will fully cooperate and said additional staff will be brought it to fulfill the DOJ's request.
"We believe that transparency fosters trust, which is why much of the material requested specifically regarding the Sonya Massey tragedy is already available online for the public to access and review," Crouch said in a statement. "We aim to meet the deadlines outlined in the DOJ’s request and look forward to their conclusions and recommendations. This process is an important step in building community-wide confidence and strengthening our delivery of fair and effective services to the residents of Sangamon County.”
Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter also welcomed the investigation and said he has full confidence in the sheriff to be transparent and diligent.
"The Sangamon County Board is fully committed to supporting the Sheriff’s Office in meeting the DOJ’s deadlines and requirements," Van Meter said in a statement. "Whether through financial resources or additional staffing, we will ensure they have the tools necessary to provide the requested information thoroughly and efficiently. This review is a critical step in strengthening public trust of the Sheriff’s Office.”
The DOJ is giving the county 30 days to respond to its request for materials. The letter said the DOJ will carefully consider all information the county provides and "will afford you the opportunity to work cooperatively with DOJ to address any concerns and resolve this matter before taking more formal actions.
This is a developing story.
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