Lawyers Sue City Of Chicago For Access To Inmates

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Cook County Public Defender and defense attorneys are suing the city of Chicago for denying lawyers access to people in police custody.

The groups said the city has a systemic practice of denying people in police custody access to counsel and phones.

"As we sit here today, we anticipate that there will be hundreds of people in the city of Chicago arrested who will not be given access to a phone or an attorney until they are released," said attorney Brendan Shiller. "If they have a misdemeanor or processed, if they have a felony. That is the course of conduct. It's gotten so bad that is required this emergency legal action."

The groups said it's become more widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic.