Jon Burge
| Jon Graham Burge | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 20, 1947 Chicago, Illinois |
| Residence | Apollo Beach, Florida |
| Education |
Bowen High School University of Missouri (one semester) |
| Occupation | Police Commander (retired) |
| Employer | Chicago Police Department |
| Known for | Police brutality |
| Title | Detective Commander |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army/United States Army Reserve |
| Years of service | 1966–1972 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | Ninth Military Police Company of the Ninth Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards |
Bronze Star Purple Heart Army Commendation Medal (two) Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry |
| Jon G. Burge | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 20, 1947 Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Police career | |
| Department | Chicago Police Department |
| Country | United States |
| Years of service | 1970–1992 |
| Rank | Sworn in as an officer – 1970 Detective – 1972 Sergeant – 1977 Lieutenant – 1981 Commander (Violent crimes) – 1981 Commander (Bomb & arson) – 1986 Detective Commander – 1988 |
Jon Graham Burge (born December 20, 1947) is a convicted felon and former Chicago Police Department detective and commander who gained notoriety for torturing more than 200 criminal suspects between 1972 and 1991 in order to force confessions. A decorated United States Army veteran, Burge served tours in South Korea and Vietnam and continued as an enlisted United States Army Reserve soldier where he served in the military police. When he returned to the South Side of Chicago, he began his career as a police officer, achieving the rank of commander. Beginning in the 1970s, allegations were made that Burge and those under his command used physical assault and torture to coerce confessions. Eventually, hundreds of similar claims were made.
In February 1982, several Chicago law enforcement officials were shot and some killed in Police Area 2, where Burge commanded the detective squad. Arrests and interrogations related to those killings generated new complaints about police brutality. The police secured a number of confessions that contributed to convictions of two suspects. One filed a civil suit in 1989 against Burge, other officers and the city for police torture and cover-up; Burge was acquitted in 1989 because of a hung jury. Following an internal investigation, Burge was suspended from the Chicago Police Department in 1991 and fired in 1993 after the Police Department Review Board ruled that he had used torture against suspects.
After Burge was fired, demands increased to investigate the convictions for which suspects had confessed and he had provided evidence. In 2002, a special prosecutor began investigating the accusations. The four-year review, which cost $17 million, was concluded in 2006. It revealed numerous indictable crimes and other improprieties, but no indictment was made against Burge or his men as the statute of limitations for the crimes had expired. Based on the evidence from the investigation and its report, convictions of several inmates were reversed, remanded, or overturned.
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Wikipedia