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Commissioner Earlean Collins, sponsor of four resolutions regarding police torture.

Today, the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to pass three of four resolutions relating to Chicago’s history of police torture (the Jon Burge Scandal); the fourth has been sent to committee. All of the resolutions were sponsored by Commissioner Earlean Collins. The three resolutions that passed are as follows:

1. The Board supports any actions taken by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate or prosecute any federal crimes committed by torturer Jon Burge and others working beneath him.
2. The Board recommends that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan initiate new trials for twenty-six torture victims still incarcerated based on confessions tortured from them.
3. The Cook County Board of Commissioners recommends to the legislature of the State of Illinois and the Congress of the United States to pass legislation explicitly proscribing the crime of torture as defined by Article I of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment and Punishment and provide that there be no statute of limitations for this crime.

The other resolution calls for the Board to discontinue all future payments to Special Prosecutors Edward Egan and Robert Boyle who conducted a four-year, $7 million investigation that produced no indictments and was widely criticized as a political whitewash. That resolution has been sent to the Litigation subcommittee which will require the Special Prosecutors to appear at a hearing. The Special Prosecutors refused to appear at the initial hearing on June 13th which led to today’s vote on the resolutions.

At today’s press conference, a number of Commissioners spoke in strong support of the continued investigation and hopeful prosecution of torturers.

Also, thank you to Joey Mogul of the People’s Law Office for sending me an update of the Board vote.