SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Sangamon County's Massey Commission is continuing to push for reform.
The commission met Monday night, just days after the Department of Justice announced that it would be conducting an investigation into the the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, Sangamon County, and the Sangamon County Central Dispatch System following the police killing of Sonya Massey.
"The letter was not addressed to the Massey Commission as a response to our request for investigation," said Dr. Jerry Kruse, one of the co-chairs of the Massey Commission. "But make no mistake about it, the letter is responsive to our needs for further fact finding, accountability and outside review of the policies and practices that may have led to the Massey murder."
In a letter dated last Thursday, the DOJ's Civil Rights Division said it is looking to see if the county agencies violated federal nondiscrimination requirements.
"The commission are feeling very strongly that we are making, headway because just being really stood up in the month of September," said JoAnn Johnson, another one of the co-chairs of the Massey Commission. "We've already asked three major agencies to someone please conduct a thorough review of the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department."
The sheriff's office has until next month to turn over documents, and Johnson hopes the agency will conduct a thorough investigation as quickly as possible.
"We're even more, proud and happy to hear that it appears the Sheriff Crouch is going to be in full cooperation with whatever the department of justice is seeking, information wise, document wise. So that's good news," said Johnson.
The Massey Commission also passed two resolutions for the Sangamon County board to consider.
The first resolution would establish a 708 Mental Health Board in Sangamon County.
The second would allow a resolution for voters to decide on the power to recall a sheriff in the county.
The board could consider the proposals at its next meeting.
Copyright 2024. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
