“In view of last week’s killing of Patrick Dorismond, an unarmed civilian, by a member of the New York City Police Department, I appeal to you in the strongest possible terms for the appointment of federal monitors to oversee the Department,” Cong. Rangel said in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

“Mr. Dorismond’s death, coming less than a month after the commencement of a Justice Department investigation of the killing of young Amadou Diallo, has created an atmosphere of crisis that is shaking the very foundations of New York City.”

Despite ongoing federal investigations in the killing of Amadou Diallo and the brutal attack on Abner Louima, the Congressman complained that “there has been no action by the NYPD or the Mayor of New York to modify the behavior of violence-prone members of the Department.

“In view of the danger to which all New Yorkers are exposed in the absence of new management policies and training procedures, we are left with no recourse but to appeal for federal action,” Cong. Rangel wrote.

“This appeal is not lightly made,” Cong. Rangel said.  “My constituents and New Yorkers in general are outraged and dismayed by the atmosphere of police violence which has overtaken our city.  Public confidence in the police is eroding, and there is great concern among the city’s responsible leadership about where all of this may lead.

“Until other corrective actions are specified by the [Justice] Department growing out of its current investigations of the NYPD, I appeal to you to act on an emergency basis to provide for federal oversight of the Department.  At minimum, this would be a means of restoring some level of public confidence in the police and feeling of safety among our citizens,” Cong. Rangel wrote.