At its Feb. 10 meeting, the Massey Commission passed a resolution renewing its call for independent investigations of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office hiring practices. The resolution came at the conclusion of the group’s second listening session since its creation in September 2024.

On Jan. 28, the Commission co-chairs met with Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser and County Sheriff Paula Crouch regarding the Memorandum of Agreement that the County entered into with the United States Department of Justice at the end of the Biden administration. Sangamon County leaders have indicated that they fully intend to uphold the agreement even though the management of the plan has passed to a new presidential administration. 

During the Feb. 10 meeting, Co-chair JoAnn Johnson read a letter of commitment from the Sangamon County State’s Attorney and County Sheriff. She also read a letter from the Sangamon County Democratic Caucus calling for additional investigations.

“As we said when we learned of the agreement, we are pleased that there was swift action to move forward,” said Johnson. “Still, the timing of the DOJ’s work and the agreement with Sangamon County leaves many to question whether the investigation was sufficient to meet the discovery needs of the County and the Commission as we evaluate reforms.”

Massey Commission Resolution 4

On Thursday, January 16, 2025 the US Justice Department announced an agreement with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), the Sangamon County Central Dispatch System (SCCDS), and Sangamon County, Illinois, to resolve an investigation of race and disability discrimination in the provision of policing and dispatch services. The agreement includes a recognition of the Massey Commission’s work and obligates the County to review and incorporate Massey Commission recommendations as appropriate.

The following statement was issued by JoAnn Johnson, co-chair of the commission.

“We are pleased that there has been swift action and we look forward to reviewing the details of the agreement. The agreement does acknowledge the work of the Massey Commission and asks the county to work collaboratively with us to incorporation our recommendations.”