Lawyers wary of claim about Chicago police 'black site,' say abuse citywide
Allegations that the Chicago Police Department abuses the rights of people that police detain for questioning have been a central element of the notorious police misconduct issues in this city for decades.
From the torture carried out by former Cmdr. Jon Burge in the 1970s and 1980s to the baseless detention of people subsequently robbed by rogue officers of the Special Operations Section less than a decade ago, mistreatment of detainees has been much litigated and extensively covered by Chicago news media outlets in recent years."
*The problems described in the pieces published by The Guardian include denying detainees access to their lawyers as well as denying lawyers and family members any information about the whereabouts of their clients and loved ones for hours. The stories have gone viral online and led to calls for demonstrations. But lawyers said such problems have been a widespread issue with the Police Department for decades, not one particular to Homan Square.
Richard Dvorak, a veteran criminal defense attorney, said the problem was widespread, but he was unaware of any issue unique to Homan Square.
"Everything that was described (in the Guardian story) was something that happens every day," he said. "I think it's pretty systemic throughout CPD."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-homan-square-chicago-police-met-20150227-story.html#page=1
"Pretty systemic throught the CPD" That's comforting..
