It could also add to the tensions within Mr Cardoso's fractious coalition (which almost came to blows this week over the choice of a new chief of the federal police).

ECONOMIST: Gun law in Brazil

The former mayor, police chief and a village trustee all pleaded guilty last year to federal charges of trafficking highly sought AK-47-style pistols to Mexican cartels.

CNN: On the border: Guns, drugs -- and a betrayal of trust

The federal home ministry is also considering the position of the city's police chief, Neeraj Kumar, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter who asked not to be named.

WSJ: Top Delhi Police Officers Probing Rape Cases Transferred

"It told me that they had set their own quota, " Mr. Marino, a New York Police Department deputy chief, testified Friday at a trial in Manhattan federal court challenging the constitutionality of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk tactic.

WSJ: NYPD Chief Set 'Goals' for Officers