CHICAGO (MCT) — Patrick Fitzgerald will be most remembered for taking down two Illinois governors, but the prosecution of a ruthless ex-Chicago police commander may say more about the outgoing U.S. attorney’s style, boldness and willingness to risk a courtroom loss in pursuit of what he felt was right.

For decades, a parade of African-American men had accused Jon Burge of torturing them into false murder confessions that often led to long prison terms. Burge had even been fired for mistreating a suspect, but no criminal charges were ever filed and the retired cop had for years been living quietly in Florida collecting his police pension.