Residents say sheriff's resignation 'isn't enough'; call for independent investigation

A parade of speakers at Tuesday's Sangamon County Board meeting called for an independent investigation into the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department, adding that Sheriff Jack Campbell's retirement, announced Friday in the wake of the July 6 fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, wasn't enough.

Others called for more stringent oversight of the department and its $22 million budget and redirecting funds to more fully address training of officers dealing with citizens with mental health crises.

Massey's mother, Donna Massey, had called Springfield Police the day before the shooting because she observed her daughter having "a mental breakdown."

Former deputy Sean P. Grayson was charged with murder and pleaded not guilty . He remains in custody.

Some of the speakers at Tuesday night's county board meeting at the Bank of Springfield Center derided board members for not speaking up more for Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who had called 911 for help for a possible prowler that morning.

Sheriff's deputies responded because the area in which Massey lived, a part of "Cabbage Patch," is not technically part of the city of Springfield, but part of Woodside Township.

Campbell did not attend the meeting.

Bree Roberts said Camden, New Jersey, and Eugene, Oregon, were examples of cities that invested in de-escalation training and more funds for mental health crisis teams that have led to fewer police interventions.

Roberts chided the Sangamon County department for using "significant portions" of the budget were "often dedicated to militarized vehicles and surveillance technologies."

Ashley Bresnahan said Campbell's stepping down "is not enough" and that a deep-seated culture in the sheriff's department needed to be addressed.

Bresnahan called for an independent investigation of the sheriff's department and third-party training.

"Why do we keep putting a Band-aid on the problem instead of fixing the root issue?" she asked.

Jenna Broom agreed.

"The office which gave Sean Grayson a badge and a gun," Broom said, "is the same office that produced Jack Campbell and other members of his leadership team."

Zack Long called out Campbell for saying earlier that calls for his job were politically motivated.

"For anyone to say this is a political move, shame on you," Long said. "Our job is to keep putting pressure on these board members."

Campbell has been sheriff since 2018 and said last week he is retiring no later than Aug. 31.

The hiring practices of the sheriff's department came under fire from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker , who last week formally called for Campbell to resign.

Grayson moved from one police agency to another, records show. He had two DUIs before he went into law enforcement and a discharge from the U.S. Army that cited "serious misconduct."

The killing of Massey has sparked national outcry over police brutality, large-city demonstrations and a federal probe by the U.S. Department of Justice.

From Campbell's official retirement, the county board has three days to announce the vacancy with the county central committee per the state election code . County board Chairman Andy Van Meter will then have 60 days to fill the vacancy "with the advice and consent of the county board."

Campbell is a Republican, so his replacement will also be a Republican.

A board member who pushed for giving voters a say on possible recall of the sheriff and other elected officials saw that move thwarted near the end of Tuesday's proceedings.

Sam Cahnman's binding referendum, which would have gone on the Nov. 5 ballot, garnered only five votes.

It revised an earlier advisory referendum about whether Campbell should resign or not, made obsolete by Friday's announcement.

Cahnman's amendment would have held future officeholders' feet to the fire. He said other municipalities had successfully adopted recall, but Van Meter, backed the board's counsel, Joel Benoit, said the amendment "wasn't germane" to Cahnman's original referendum.

Cahnman had argued that, short of recall, there wasn't a mechanism to remove Campbell from office "though he appeared to have lost the confidence of the public."

Because Monday is the deadline for getting the question on the ballot, Cahnman has called for a special county board meeting then.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Residents say sheriff's resignation 'isn't enough'; call for independent investigation