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5 Aldermen Want Federal Charges For Burge

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Sep 21, 2007 9:31 am US/Central

5 Aldermen Want Federal Charges For Burge

Report Last Year Found Torture, But Said It Was Too Late To Prosecute

CHICAGO (STNG) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: Former police Cmdr. Jon Burge
CBS

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Former Officer Details Chilling Story Of Torture (July 24, 2007)
(7/25/2007)
Prosecutor, Alleged Victims Discuss Burge Report (June 13, 2007)
(6/13/2007)
City Considers New Police Brutality Oversight (June 11, 2007)
(6/12/2007)
Activists Release Own Report On Police Torture (April 24, 2007)
(4/24/2007)
Attorneys Call For Civilian Review Board For Cops (April 5, 2007)
(4/5/2007)
Alleged Torture Victims: City Hasn't Paid Up (Feb. 20, 2007)
(2/20/2007)
Daley Added As Defendant In Police Torture Suit (Feb. 14, 2007)
(2/14/2007)

Five Chicago aldermen sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald on Thursday urging him to "investigate, indict and prosecute" former Chicago Police Lt. Jon Burge for torturing African-American criminal suspects.

"We strongly believe that the federal prosecution of Burge and his police helpers is possible and that the statute of limitations is not a bar. Burge and all involved can be prosecuted for perjury, obstruction of justice and for ongoing conspiracy to cover up their torture scheme," wrote the aldermen — Bob Fioretti, (2nd), Pat Dowell (3rd), Billy Ocasio (26th), Ed Smith, (28th) and Helen Shiller (46th).

Arguing that the Burge scandal "casts a long shadow" over the Chicago Police Department, the aldermen wrote, "It is appalling that none of the offending police officers have ever been criminally charged. On behalf of our constituents, we urge you to take all possible action to prosecute Jon Burge and his men for their actions in the aftermath of their torture of African-American men at Area 2 and Area 3 police headquarters."

Last year, a $7 million report by special prosecutors concluded that Burge and his underlings tortured criminal suspects for two decades while police brass looked the other way. But the report concluded that it's too late to prosecute because the statute of limitations has long since run out.

Locke Bowman, the legal director of the MacArthur Justice Center at Northwestern University's School of Law who represents one of the torture victims, disclosed that he and attorney Flint Taylor have met with federal prosecutors "on more than one occasion" to discuss Burge and have "good reason to believe" that a federal investigation may be under way.