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Deadly shooting in Dallas puts Glendale, Burbank police on high alert

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Glendale and Burbank patrol officers were ordered to pair up on Thursday night in the wake of a deadly shooting in Dallas that claimed the lives of five police officers.

The redeployments were ordered as a precaution, as there were no known threats to the Glendale or Burbank police departments, where officers routinely ride solo. Crescenta Valley sheriff’s deputies were also doubling up in patrol cars.

In Glendale, extra police officers were on-duty to make sure the city had enough patrol cars to respond to calls, while motorcycle officers were also riding in pairs.

“I wanted my officers and the community to know that we were prepared and that we were staffing our personnel appropriately to handle any type of incident,” Glendale Police Chief Robert Castro said Friday, adding that the move gave officers, as well as their families, peace of mind. “To see five officers lose their lives like that, it takes a toll on them.”

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Castro hoped it would also serve as a deterrent to anyone who may have considered causing trouble locally.

Burbank patrol officers doubled up on Thursday evening and Friday, and police officials planned to reevaluate the deployment for Friday’s night shift.

“We believe it is safer when you have somebody in the car with you...being your eyes and ears where you’re not looking,” said Burbank Police Sgt. Claudio Losacco.

The violence erupted when a sniper opened fire in downtown Dallas during a protest over recent police shootings. Eleven officers were shot, five of them fatally.

Police used a “bomb robot” early Friday to kill the gunman, identified as Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, a Dallas-area resident, following an hours-long standoff in a parking garage, the Los Angeles Times reported.

At least three other people were taken into custody in connection with the shooting, but they have not been identified and no information has been given on their possible roles in the attack.

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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @atchek

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