Dec 5, 2008 9:37 am US/Central
Police Union To Pay Burge's Legal Bills
Former Police Commander Is Charged With Lying About Torture Allegations
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
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Former police Cmdr. Jon Burge arrives at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse Monday morning, where he pleaded not guilty to obstruction and perjury charges.
CBS
Chicago's police union voted to foot either some or all of the legal bills for Jon Burge, perhaps the city's most infamous former officer, as he faces federal charges tied to allegations of torturing suspects.
Tuesday night, the board of the local Fraternal Order of Police, which represents thousands of officers below the rank of sergeant, voted to pay for Burge's defense in his upcoming federal perjury and obstruction of justice trial, a police source confirmed Thursday.
Attempts to reach FOP President Mark Donahue about the move were unsuccessful. A source familiar with Tuesday's vote says the board OKd funding Burge's defense because the onetime lieutenant -- ultimately fired -- is facing criminal charges linked to his time on the police force.
Flint Taylor, an attorney who represents some of Burge's alleged victims, said: "I think it's outrageous, and it continues a sordid and racist [history for] the FOP of defending police torture in the city."
The city has spent millions defending Burge in civil suits stemming from torture allegations.
Burge, 60, and living in Florida, is accused of lying under oath in 2003 in a lawsuit charging him and other Chicago Police officers of torture. Former Death Row inmate Madison Hobley claimed Burge and other officers tortured him into confessing to a 1987 arson that killed seven people.
Burge was asked if he used sleep deprivation, phone book beatings, electric shock or other methods to torture suspects.
He replied, "I have never used any techniques set forth above as a means of improper coercion of suspects while in detention or during interrogation." Later, he added, "I have not observed nor do I have knowledge of any other examples of physical abuse and/or torture on the part of Chicago Police officers at Area 2."
Prosecutors say they will try to prove that Burge not only tortured suspects, but that he also knew that other officers did, too.
To date, Burge and other officers have been accused of torturing suspects dating back to the 1980s in civil suits. After four years and $7 million, a special prosecutor's report in 2006 found that while some of the torture allegations decades ago were valid, Burge and the others could not face criminal prosecution because the statute of limitations had expired.
Reached late Thursday, Burge's attorney Richard M. Beuke declined comment.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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