CHICAGO (AP) — A Cook County commissioner is pushing for an ordinance that would prevent the burial of indigent remains in the haphazard and sloppy way the sheriff outlined earlier this year.
Commissioner John Fritchey says he's proposing the
ordinance after learning from Sheriff Tom Dart that the remains of indigent
babies were buried by the dozens in the same box. Fritchey also says the
remains of indigent adults were stacked and buried in mass graves — making it
often impossible to determine who is buried where.
He says the indigent deserve a more respectful
burial and it's important to handle burials so officials know who is buried
where. Among other things, the ordinance would halt the practice of burying
more than one person in the same box.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
