The Chicago Sun-Times reports:
Former Police Cmdr. Jon Burge - who has cast a long shadow over the Chicago Police Department because of accusations he tortured suspects for two decades - was arrested this morning on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
It was long believed Burge could not be prosecuted because of the statute of limitations. But the FBI arrested Burge, 60, at his retirement home near Tampa for allegedly lying about whether he and other officers under his command tortured suspects dating back to the 1980s.
The charges are based on written answers Burge gave in a civil lawsuit against him in 2003, 10 years after he was fired from the department. Burge insisted he never observed nor used any torture techniques - including cattle prods, bags over suspects' heads and a "black box" that administered electric shocks.
Would you want to live in a city with cops like Jon Burge allowed to own a gun but you can't? Mayor Daley was not too
concerned about Jon Burge as the Chicago Sun-Times reported on February 23, 2007:
Mayor Daley said today he has "no problems" answering questions under oath about allegations that -- as state's attorney and as mayor -- he failed to investigate torture allegations against former Police Lt. Jon Burge.
"If they require me to be deposed, I have no problems with that. That's all I have to say," he told reporters at an unrelated news conference at police headquarters.
Daley noted that he had been "deposed already" by a special prosecutor appointed to investigate the allegations against Burge.
"I answered all those questions. Why are you trying to [get] me to answer the question differently from last time? I answered the question. You know what the answer was," he said.
The Chicago Way.
