Jon Burge

Jon Burge is a former Chicago police lieutenant who was arrested on October 21, 2008, and charged with perjury and obstruction of justice.Chicago Tribune: Burge caught in a perjury trap (October 21, 2008) MSNBC: Ex-Chicago cop arrested in ’90s torture scandal (October 21, 2008) The charges stem from statements he made during a civil rights suit in 2003 addressing whether police under his direction tortured and physically abused suspects.Chicago Tribune: Burge caught in a perjury trap (October 21, 2008)

One of 14 police brutality cases definitively linked to Burge and currently under investigation by the Illinois Attorney General is that of Cortez Brown, who on November 25, 2008, petitioned for the overturn of his murder conviction.Chicago Tribune: Man who alleges torture appeals murder convictions (November 25, 2008)

Allegations about Burge's use of torture have been put forward since he first started at the Chicago Police Department in 1972.Human Rights at Home: The Chicago Police Torture Archive Timeline In 2006, special prosecutors reported discovering 75 separate credible allegations of police abuse as an ongoing practice. The statute of limitations had expired.Chicago Tribune: Burge caught in a perjury trap (October 21, 2008)

The new charges against Burge have developed from a civil rights case (Hobley v. Burge, et al.) filed in 2003 on behalf of Madison Hobley, a convicted arsonist who spent 13 years on death row before being exonerated in 2003. The suit stated that during interrogation in 1987, officers put a plastic bag over Hobley's head until he lost consciousness.Market Watch: U.S. Indicts Former Chicago Police Cmdr. (October 21, 2008)

During questioning, Burge denied that torture was used on Hobley; special prosecutors' reports say Burge perjured himself.Chicago Tribune: Burge caught in a perjury trap (October 21, 2008)