Police in cities across the U.S. have been ordered to patrol in pairs in the wake of the deadly Baton Rouge attack, which left three police dead and three injured. In New York City, officers were instructed to “maintain a heightened level of awareness” and stay in pairs at all times—even while on personal breaks. Police departments in Chicago, New Orleans, and Boston followed suit and called for two-officer patrols at all times. The police shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge on July 5 and Philando Castile near St. Paul on July 6 triggered a wave of protests across the nation and a backlash against police, who many believe wrongfully shot both black men. At a protest over the shootings in Dallas on July 7, five police officers were shot dead by a sniper. In Baton Rouge, in the aftermath of Sterling’s death, several people have been arrested in connection with a plot to “purge” police officers.
