Photo by Steve Fernie.

Photo by Steve Fernie.

This post has been updated with comment from MPD.

After five officers were killed in a sniper attack in Dallas, D.C. police officers have been ordered to patrol in pairs for the foreseeable future, according to a Metropolitan Police Department spokesman.

MPD has also increased the “invisible security presence around each of our district police stations,” Dustin Sternbeck said. And with at least 10 planned protests in the coming days, “we’ll be monitoring those protests and demonstrations to ensure the safety of all.”

The NYPD is under a similar directive to work in teams of two, as are other police departments around the country.

“Looking at the type of attack that happened in Dallas, a two-man car, a four-man car, a 10-man car, isn’t going to make much of a difference. But it makes the officers feel much safer,” D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier told The Washington Post. Sternbeck added that each situation and event is unique, and a second pair of eyes can “increase the safety of our officers.”

In an interview with WTOP, Lanier said that in addition to the extra safety measures, she planned on “getting around today and talking to police officers and trying to keep them going.” She added that MPD has a good relationship with the community, and “we’d like to think nothing like that would happen here.”

“We’re still going to do our jobs, and work around the clock, and keeping the officers focused and staying safe is really important,” Lanier said.

She described last night’s protest against police brutality as “very peaceful.” Another rally is scheduled this evening outside of the Department of Justice, which has opened an investigation into the killing of Alton Sterling.

“We’re going to do what we normally do. Manage the protests and make sure everyone gets their First Amendment rights,” Lanier told the Post.

Around the region, several police forces are shrouding their badges today in honor of the fallen officers in Dallas.

Filed Under: dallas, mpd, police, safety, shooting,