Burge is currently on trial for perjury and obstruction of justice after being accused of lying to special prosecutors during an investigation led by the police department’s then-Office of Professional Standards. He’s pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he
The Illinois Coalition Against Torture said torture by law enforcement officials in the United States should be illegal and called on elected officials to enact legislation to make it happen.
As the federal perjury trial against former Chicago police Commander Jon Burge enters its second week, the newly-formed group called for legislation at the state and federal levels to criminalize acts of torture committed by law enforcement personnel, new hearings for the more than 20 alleged Chicago police torture victims who say they were wrongly convicted yet remain in prison, and the City of Chicago to pay reparations for torture survivors.
Burge is currently on trial for perjury and obstruction of justice after being accused of lying to special prosecutors during an investigation led by the police department’s then-Office of Professional Standards. He’s pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face up to 45 years in prison.
A special prosecutor ruled in 2006 he and several detectives under his command tortured at least 110 suspects into confessing to crimes through beatings, electric shock and other heinous methods between 1972 and 1991. The statute of limitations expired on the alleged torture.
Many victims claiming to have been tortured were convicted of crimes they alleged they didn’t commit. Some had convictions overturned and 10 were sentenced to death.
City and Cook County resolutions calling for a measure to criminalize torture by police have been sponsored by Ald. Ed Smith (28th) and county Commissioner Earlean Collins, D-1st. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-7th, will sponsor federal legislation.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender.
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