home

Chicago Mayor Opposes Taped Interrogations

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley can afford Soldier's Field and other expensive projects, but he says Chicago can't afford justice. We expect more from the mayor under whose watch police-tortured confessions occurred.

An ordinance was introduced before the Chicago City Council Wednesday to require videotaping of interrogation, the best means of detecting and preventing false and coerced confession. "They would be sealed, preserved for at least 10 years and made available only when needed for trial, for "evidentiary purposes," or upon request by the suspect."

Alderman Richard Burke pointed out,
...Chicago can no longer afford not to videotape interrogations and that the courts or the Legislature could impose it. In the meantime, suspects who claim their confessions were coerced will sue the city and win multimillion-dollar settlements. That could make the cost of setting up one or more interview rooms in all six police areas--at a cost of $25,000 per room--then training officers to run and staff the equipment seem small, the alderman said."
Here's one of our prior posts explaining why videotaping interrogations, contrary to Daley's claims, would further both justice and police investigations .

< Ashcroft Overides His Prosecutors on Death Penalty Decisions | Did Ryan Overstep His Bounds? >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Display: Sort: