Inland law enforcement agencies decry violence after Baton Rouge police officers shot

In the Inland area, local police departments watched on with confusion and frustration Sunday as TVs flashed coverage of a shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge.

And though many of those departments said they had no plans to change their staffing or how they were going to operate for the day, they said the recent shooting had sparked larger conversations about being safe as an officer.

Patton said the department has been on heightened alert since the July 7 shooting in Dallas that killed five officers and wounded seven others. He said the shooting in Louisiana is yet another reminder that officers need to be more cognizant of their own safety.

• Related Story: Authorities search for suspects after 3 officers shot, killed in Baton Rouge

Sgt. Joe Feola of the Baing Police Department said people there had been watching the coverage on TV and listening to it on the radio.

He said it had sparked conversations, not necessarily about how to do things differently, but about things that should be done already. He said officers shouldn’t become complacent and should always think about safety.

“We should always have a heightened alert,” he said.

Many of the departments said they were still confused by the incident in Louisiana, as details were still coming in and not a lot was known.

“Nobody even knows what this is all about or why it even happened,” said Feola.

• Photos: 3 police officers dead, 3 hurt in Baton Rouge shooting

Lt. Charles Payne of the Riverside Police Department said Sunday moing that the shooting was “tragic” and “terrible,” but said he didn’t want to comment further until he better understood the developing situation.

Payne said there were no immediate plans to make any adjustments in staffing or procedure, but that officers would be following the situation closely and making adjustments if they felt there was a threat.

“As far as our staffing or anything like that, we’ll make adjustments if we feel there’s potential for an incident happening in our own city,” he said.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

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