Sonya Massey killing sparks renewed scrutiny of police hiring
The Illinois deputy sheriff who killed Sonya Massey had worked for six law enforcement agencies in four years. Observers have questioned how and why he kept getting hired.
In the nearly three weeks since an Illinois deputy sheriff was charged with murder after fatally shooting Sonya Massey, observers have questioned how and why the officer — who had worked for six law enforcement agencies in four years — kept on getting hired.
Sean Grayson’s personnel files show a string of apparent red flags: He admitted to having two DUI arrests and being discharged from the Army for “misconduct, (serious offense).” After one of the DUIs, a handgun was found in the car he was driving. In a previous law enforcement job, he had been reprimanded for inaccuracies in his police reports, failure to follow orders from a senior leader and a perceived lack of integrity, NBC News previously reported.
On Wednesday, Grayson’s most recent employer, the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, posted more files, which showed that although he scored low on a psychological cognitive assessment, Thomas Campion, a police psychologist, wrote Grayson was suitable for the job. Two other departments noted that he needed more training.
In an interview with "NBC Nightly News," Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell defended his hiring of Grayson.
"He was certified six times to work as a police officer in Illinois," he said. "There was nothing in his past that would have given me an idea that he would snap the way he did."
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