Posted on 09/29/2009 11:05:04 AM PDT by fiscon1
Jon Graham Burge (born December 20, 1947) is a decorated United States Army veteran and a former Chicago Police Department detective and commander who gained notoriety for allegedly torturing more than 200 criminal suspects between 1972 and 1991, in order to force confessions. He served tours in South Korea and Vietnam after extensive training that began in Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) and continued as an enlisted United States Army Reserve soldier where he was trained for and served in the military police. He then returned to the South Side of Chicago and began his career as a police officer. He rose through the ranks in units that seemed to solve every case they handled. Various allegations arose about the methods of Burge and those under his command. Eventually, the weight of hundreds of similar stories caused Illinois Governor George Ryan to declare a moratorium on death penalty executions in Illinois in 2000 and clear the state’s death row in 2003.
The most controversial arrests began in February 1982 at a time when a series of shootings of Chicago law enforcement officials caused a turbulent time in Police Area 2, whose detective squad Burge commanded. Some of the people who confessed to murder were later granted new trials, and a few were even acquitted or pardoned. Burge was acquitted of police brutality charges in 1989 after a first trial resulted in a hung jury. He was suspended from the Chicago Police Department in 1991 and fired in 1993 after the Police Department Review Board ruled that he had used torture.
In 2002, a special prosecutor began investigating the accusations. The review, which cost $17 million, revealed improprieties that resulted in no action due to the statute of limitations. After Burge was fired, there was a groundswell of support to investigate his convictions. Several were reversed, remanded or overturned. All Illinois death row inmates received reductions in their sentences. Four of Burge’s victims were pardoned by then-Governor George Ryan, and subsequently filed a consolidated suit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the City of Chicago, various police officers, Cook County and various State’s Attorneys. A $19.8 million settlement was reached in December 2007 with the “city defendants”. Cases against Cook County and the other current/former county prosecutors continue as of July 2008. In October 2008, Patrick Fitzgerald had Burge arrested on charges of obstruction of justice and perjury in relation to a civil suit regarding the torture allegations against him. The trial is scheduled to occur in October 29, 2009.
You are incorrect in most of your inflammatory description. Tell us again corrupt Burge was
which of my inflammatory remarks are incorrect. He never faced charges because conveniently everything was discovered just after the statute of limitations ran out. That doesn’t mean it never happened. There are 200 cases that were discovered, and I said hundreds if not thousands, and since it goes back to 1973 we’ll never know just how many. I know people that are in contact with people still in jail following his torture. I assume that’s the wikipedia page because it sounds familiar and it relates everything I said. Wo, which part is inaccurate?
did you read what you posted? The guy is alleged to have tortured 200 people. Is that all right with you? He’s now facing charges for lying about it. The only reason he never faced charges for the torture themselves is because the statute of limitations ran out before it was discovered. nice system we have. There’s no defending Burge. He’s a monster. What’s debated here is whether or not you can have a death penalty knowing that hundreds of people had their confessions tortured. Most, even those for the death penalty like me, know that you can’t. Apparently some here think it would still be all right.
the worst part about the torture is this. I talked with Tony Peraica who was running for Cook County State’s Attorney and he told me that it’s public record that Cook County State’s Attorney prosecutors would walk into the interrogation rooms, see people bleeding and with arms broken following the torture and take their confessions routinely. furthermore, from the article, the worst periods started in 1982 and of course, current Mayor Richard Daley was then the Cook County State’s Attorney. How’s that for a web of corruption. Now, exactly what did I get wrong?
And did YOU READ all of it? He was acquitted. Get over yourself.
Nice to know you deal in second information and gossip.
Keep on tellin us just how Burge is
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