Cops on High Alert, Patrolling in Pairs After Baton Rouge Police Shootings
At least three cops were killed in shootings in Baton Rouge this morning.
— -- Police in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans are on high alert after three officers were fatally shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, today.
In New York City, the NYPD told personnel today that all officers should patrol in twos, effective immediately and until further notice.
"There are to be no solo foot posts citywide," the NYPD message said. "All uniform members of service shall arrive and remain on post together. All meals and personal breaks will also be taken in pairs. If the assigned post is considered integral to your command operations and you feel it should not be left unmanned during meal breaks, have that post back-filled. Police Officers on patrol should maintain a heightened level of awareness."
The NYPD also said station house security would be mandatory until further notice and all security posts would have two officers at a time.
NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton tweeted today that "safety -- public's & ours -- is paramount."
In Boston, the Boston Police Department said today its officers will patrol in pairs in the wake of the Baton Rouge shootings.
Police in Chicago were also ordered to patrol in pairs.
In Los Angeles, the police chief has ordered security enhancements, but the Los Angeles Police Department already requires all cops to work in pairs when responding to calls or reports of crimes in progress.
New Orleans Police officers were also told to respond to calls with no less than two officers and two police units on the scene, ABC affiliate WGNO-TV in New Orleans reported today.
NOPD Chief Michael Harrison said the directive for NOPD officers to respond in teams will continue until further notice.
"This is a tough time, we’ll feel the effects of it for a while, Harrison said. "What they're experiencing, we're experiencing here emotionally. These officers need to feel safe. This will last until we feel we don’t need it anymore."
Law enforcement were on high alert even before this morning's deadly police shootings.
In the wake of the death of Alton Sterling, a black man who was shot and killed after an altercation with Baton Rouge police officers on July 5, there were calls to "purge" cops in Baton Rouge.
A warning issued by the FBI's New Orleans field office on July 7 mentioned "threats to law enforcement and potential threats to the safety of the general public" stemming from Sterling's shooting.
One image on social media said the Baton Rouge "purge" would start July 9 at midnight and end July 10 at 5 a.m.
The FBI said the information was not officially confirmed but was issued to alert law enforcement to be aware.
In Atlanta, the Atlanta Police Department issued an alert July 13 addressing the threat of a law enforcement "purge" the following day.
"The Atlanta Police Homeland Security Unit has vetted several direct and indirect statements regarding assaulting law enforcement officers since the recent officer involved shootings. Mentioned in some of the threats made towards law enforcement officers was threat to beginning purging against law enforcement officers at midnight tonight and concluding at 0500hrs. tomorrow [July 14]," the alert said. "This is based on the movie of the same name where crime is legal for a short period of time. Some of these individuals across the US have stated that people participating in the Purge should target LEO's and kill them."