Former CPD supt. talks about Burge case

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Former Chicago Police Superintendent Richard Brzeczek is speaking out for the first time since former police commander Jon Burge was charged with lying about torture cases.

Brzeczek was Chicago's top cop when Burge and other officers allegedly tortured suspects.

Brzeczek has been a private citizen for about 25 years and has a law office on the Northwest Side. He says he was the police superintendent for just three years - 1980-1983 - during Burge's regime. Some of that time overlaps Burge's alleged involvement in the reported torture of suspects.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who was the Cook County state's attorney for much of that time, pointed the finger at Brzeczek and former mayor Jane Byrne in response to questions Tuesday. That was a switch from his position two years ago when he offered apologies to the alleged victims of Burge.

Brzeczek said he forwarded a letter to Daley with details specifically of Andrew Wilson at that time.

"You know, he was head of the police department, and he promoted him. And they cleared him and everything else, the police department did at that time," Daley said.

"Did you see anybody in the Cook County Democratic Party starting with Richard M. Daley?" Brzeczek said. "You ever see any of them worry about ethical considerations? They just did what they wanted to."

Brzeczek called the Burge allegations of torture the biggest black eye in the history of the Chicago Police Department. And there have been a number of black eyes over the years, he said. This is the worst among all of them, and Brzeczek says he gets no satisfaction from the arrest and possible prosecution of Jon Burge going forward.

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