Ex-Chicago police lt. denies torturing black suspects

CHICAGO (AP) - For years, the mention of Jon Burge's name has triggered anger in the black community over allegations made by dozens of men...

TheGrio Staff

Jun 17, 2010

CHICAGO (AP) — A former police lieutenant whose name has become synonymous with police brutality in Chicago ended years of silence about allegations that suspects were tortured under his watch, tearfully testifying Thursday at his perjury trial that he never beat, shocked or suffocated anyone into giving confessions.

“No sir, I did not,” Jon Burge said in federal court.

For years, the mention of Burge’s name has triggered anger in the black community over allegations made by dozens of men that Burge and his officers tortured them into confessing to crimes. And when Burge — who was fired in 1993 over alleged mistreatment of a suspect — retired to a quiet life in Florida and collected his police pension, many claimed that was proof the department and the city accepted brutality from members of its police force.

Burge’s reputation as a ruthless interrogator stood in contrast to the frail, white-haired old man on the witness stand.

“This is an emotional topic for you,” asked defense attorney Marc Miller.

“Yes it is,” said Burge, who wiped away tears with a tissue that U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow gave him.

Burge has pleaded not guilty to lying in a civil lawsuit when he denied seeing or participating in the torture of suspects. His testimony follows that of five men who say Burge and officers under his command tortured them during the 1970s and 1980s to elicit confessions to crimes ranging from robbery to murder.

The testimony of those men echoed what others have long said: Black men suspected of crimes didn’t leave interrogation rooms until they told Burge and his detectives what they wanted to hear.

More than 100 victims have said the torture started in the 1970s and persisted until the 1990s at police stations on the city’s South and West sides.

But Burge, who began his testimony by walking jurors through his lengthy police career and commendations from the police department and the U.S. Army, denied ever abusing Anthony Holmes and Melvin Jones, both of whom testified for the prosecution.

Burge lost his composure when asked about allegations that he and others held Andrew Wilson down against a hot radiator, suffocated and electrocuted him. Wilson ultimately was convicted of killing two Chicago police officers in 1982.

Earlier, defense attorney Marc Martin said Burge planned to testify that he was at a police headquarters news conference at the time.