Cook Co. detainees try to set uniforms on fire, 4 officers hurt

SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE - Two videos have been released of a group of detainees lighting their uniforms on fire Saturday evening at the Cook County Jail and the aftermath.

The detainees were in Division 9, the jail’s super maximum security division, in a tier designated for “problematic detainees who engage in sexual misconduct,” according to a statement from the Cook County sheriff’s office.

The detainees in that division are given specially designed jumpsuits, which they tried to destroy by using a microwave to ignite a wick and set the uniforms on fire, the sheriff’s office said. Smoke then billowed in the living unit.

Two officers were taken to a hospital for smoke exposure, and two officers were taken to a hospital for injuries they suffered while securing the tier, according to the sheriff’s office. As of Sunday morning, all four officers had been released and were recovering.