Ben Crump speaks on Sangamon County Sheriff retirement, future legislation to honor Sonya Massey

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Attorney Ben Crump spoke in Springfield Wednesday on the future pursuits of the family of Sonya Massey in terms of legislation after the announcement for the retirement of Sangamon County Sheriff.

The Sangamon County Sheriff announced his retirement Friday afternoon. The family of Sonya Massey has called for him to step down publicly since her funeral.

Several people including U.S. President Joe Biden , called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the wake of the body camera footage being released. Governor J.B. Pritzker and Lt. Governor Julianna Stratton have met with the family to discuss possible legislation in Illinois.

One idea Sonya Massey’s family wants to see at the state level includes requiring communication between law enforcement agencies about officers’ prior records.

The Sangamon County Sheriff said his office was not told the full story about former deputy Sean Grayson’s past. Logan County stored multiple complaints about his conduct while he worked as a sheriff’s deputy there.

“Second by second that this man was on the Sangamon County police force, he was a ticking time bomb,” Antonio Romanucci, a lawyer for the family said. “And the SAFE-T Act failed to stop him before he exploded.”

Another proposal is a minimum down time between an officer leaving one law enforcement job before taking another.

The family also plans on meeting with officials at the Democratic National Convention next week.

The full livestream of Crump’s presser can be viewed below.

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