Sonya Massey was shot in her own kitchen after she called 911 to report a possible intruder. But the person who killed her wasn't an intruder — it was an Illinois sheriff's deputy. Ms. Massey's death was avoidable and deeply tragic. Today, the former officer who killed her, Sean Grayson, was found guilty of second-degree murder. We call for the expansion of reforms like Chicago's Sonya Massey Law (Senate Bill 1953) to increase the uniformity of employment record transparency to help prevent officers with serious issues in their past and "wandering officers" from moving departments and hiding their red flags. Before his employment with Sangamon County, he had four law enforcement jobs in Central Illinois. He was also previously discharged from the U.S. Army for serious misconduct. "One past employer noted that he was sloppy in handling evidence and called him a braggart. Others said he was impulsive," stated a past employer as reported by NBC news. “Communities should be able to trust that when they call the police to their home, the responding officer will be well-trained and without a history of bias or misconduct, and police officers should be able to trust that they are serving alongside responsible and capable individuals,” said Chicago's Governor Pritzker. We agree! In her honor, we say her name....SONYA MASSEY. (fb)

Have you RSVP'd for the ESOP Homecoming yet? We are looking forward to seeing so many of our current and past members! Please let us know if you are attending this week! RSVP at: https://esopstl.org/homecoming/ AND Follow the Facebook Event Page (fb)