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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — The U.S. Department of Justice reached an agreement with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, saying the department “has not made a finding that SCSO, SCCDS and the County have provided services in a discriminatory manner.”
The agreement they reached demands several changes from the county, but there is little in the way of punishments outlined in the deal for following not following through,.
In November, the DOJ notified Sangamon County that they were opening an investigation into the Sangamon County Sheriff’s office. The DOJ requested years worth of hiring materials, training procedures, field records, and other documents. This came after calls from the public and from Massey’s family for an independent investigation into the department.
Massey was shot and killed by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson in her own home after she called 9-1-1. He is charged with first degree murder.
The actual investigation though lasted about as long as it took the county to gather all of those materials, with Sangamon County turning the records over in mid-December.
“The death of Sonya Massey was a terrible tragedy for a woman experiencing a mental health crisis, her family, and the entire Sangamon County community,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This agreement reflects Sangamon County’s commitment to instituting reform and taking action that will help improve public safety and restore trust with the community in the road ahead.”
The deal requires the Sheriff’s office to “review and update policies, rules, and procedures and provide training on a variety of topics, including non-discriminatory policing and interactions with individuals with behavioral health disabilities.”
The County must also create a mobile crisis team program which will include mental health professionals for rapid response.
All of this though is just an agreement between the county and the DOJ, which is about to be under new leadership=. There is no legal consent decree requiring the county to follow through with this agreement. The DOJ document outlining the agreement has one paragraph outlining what will happen if it finds that the county is not complying with the agreement. All it states is that in that case, the DOJ will notify the county in writing that it is failing, and “attempt to resolve the issue in good faith.”
The agreement is also only to last two years from today.
County officials told WCIA they expect to make a statement about the deal Friday morning.
This story will be updated.