SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — The Sonya Massey commission was announced 2 months ago. In the wake of Massey’s death, County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter and State Senator Doris Turner created the commission as a way to involve the public in reforming the Sheriff’s Office. The deputy who shot and killed Massey is in jail facing murder charges, but there are much larger calls for change across the community.
Since then, the group has tried to fill out its ranks, including it’s own leadership, but Monday night, they met for the first time.
“We have a lot of immediate things to take care of, but we really want to make sure that we have some change that takes hold and move this forward on all of the horrific things that we’ve seen,” Dr. Jerry Kruse, Dean and Provost of SIU School of Medicine and commission co-chair said.
The commission is …