Illinois Senate Bill 1953, or the “Sonya Massey Law,” will fundamentally transform how law enforcement agencies across Illinois hire new officers. Governor JB Pritzker signed the legislation into law on August 12, 2025, with overwhelming bipartisan support, passing 56-0 in the Illinois Senate and 101-12 in the House.
The legislation amends the Illinois Police Training Act, the Personnel Record Review Act, and the Counties Code to create stricter hiring standards specifically designed to prevent officers with problematic employment histories from moving between departments without scrutiny.
Under the new law, no law enforcement agency can make a final employment offer for any police officer position without first requiring applicants to sign a comprehensive release authorizing former employers to disclose complete employment records.
Former employers must produce these records within 14 days of receiving a request, with the possibility of a 14-day extension if needed. The records must be provided without redaction except for sensitive personal information including social security numbers, individual taxpayer identification numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account numbers, and credit card numbers.
Required disclosure materials include:
- Background investigation materials collected during previous hiring processes
- Duty-related physical and psychological fitness-for-duty examinations
- Complete work performance records
- Records of criminal, civil, or administrative investigations
- Arrest records, convictions, findings of guilt, and plea agreements
- Internal investigation files and disciplinary actions
The law states that no nondisclosure agreement, separation agreement, or settlement agreement can prevent the production of these records. If records have been sealed by court order, the requesting agency must be notified so it can seek relief from the court that issued the sealing order.
Producing agencies must execute a signed verification form confirming that all responsive records have been provided and that no known records have been intentionally withheld. They must also certify in writing that they are unaware of any other credible, verifiable, relevant, and material information that would reflect negatively on the applicant’s fitness for employment as an officer and is not contained in the produced records.
If a former employer fails to produce requested records, the requesting agency may seek a court order to compel production and may be reimbursed for fees and costs, including reasonable attorney’s fees.
The law provides immunity from civil liability for agencies, officials, and employees who submit, disclose, or release information in good faith and without malice. This protection extends to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, all previous employers, and their agents and employees.
The law includes limited exemptions for existing collective bargaining agreements that were in effect when the law was signed, but no conflicting agreements can be entered into, modified, or extended after the effective date. Additionally, the requirements do not apply if a county state’s attorney provides written directive stating that the previous employer is not legally authorized to provide the requested information.
For counties with populations between 75,000 and 1,000,000, the law changes the merit system for sheriff’s personnel from optional (“may adopt”) to mandatory (“must adopt”).
The legislation emerged directly from the July 6, 2024 shooting death of 36-year-old Sonya Massey, a Black mother of two who was killed in her Springfield home by Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson after she called 911 to report a potential prowler.
Body camera footage showed that Massey was shot in the face while holding a pot of hot water in her kitchen after saying “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus”. Grayson claimed he perceived her statement as a threat and believed she would throw the boiling water at him.
Subsequent investigations revealed Grayson had a deeply troubling employment history that should have disqualified him from law enforcement work. Over just four years, he had worked for six different police departments and had been discharged from the U.S. Army for serious misconduct. His personnel files documented a pattern of misconduct including:
- Two DUI convictions
- Disobeying direct orders from supervisors, including continuing a high-speed pursuit after being ordered to terminate it
- Allegations of attempting to watch a female detainee being strip-searched
- Claims of retaliating against the boyfriend of a woman who filed a complaint against him
On October 29, 2025, a jury convicted Grayson of second-degree murder, rejecting his self-defense claims. He faces up to 20 years in prison and is scheduled for sentencing on January 2026. His attorneys have filed for a new trial, arguing the judge improperly allowed certain evidence, though prosecutors have stated they believe the motion lacks merit.
The new law was developed with input from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois Sheriffs Association.
