Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Even though last year’s shooting death of Sonya Massey did not happen within the Springfield city limits, the city put on a show of force at an open house Monday night.

A big point of contention about then-Sangamon County deputy Sean Grayson was a lack of investigation into his background in the hiring process. Springfield police chief Joe Behl says it’s different for his department.

“Anybody we hire, whether it’s a lateral or a new hire,” Behl said, “we put boots on the ground in the towns, in the jurisdictions that they’ve worked in. We’ve sent detectives, investigators as far as Washington, D.C. We’ve sent folks to Texas to ensure that we’re getting the best possible candidates to work at our department as we possibly can.

“As far as I can remember, we’ve been doing that.”

Springfield NAACP president Austin Randolph sounded optimistic.

“I hope the future will bring more trust, better relationships, more recruits, and, more importantly, stronger partnership with the community, with the citizens of Springfield – and, hopefully, less crime.”

Grayson is jailed pending his murder trial.

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