Phoenix police will patrol the streets as two-person units after recent shootings of deputies in Los Angeles County and a federal court security guard on Tuesday in downtown Phoenix outside the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse.

Sgt. Mercedes Fortune, a spokesperson for Phoenix police, said in an email on Tuesday that the change is for “the safety of our officers and our community.”

“In response to recent attacks on law enforcement officers and for the safety of our officers and our community, Phoenix Police Chief Williams has asked all officers to patrol as a two-person unit,” Fortune said. “We want to remind our community ‘If You see something, say something.'”

She did not provide any other details about how this would affect patrols, when the practice took effect or what specific case prompted Williams’ directive.

Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio said in a tweet that he supported the decision, but with fewer officers patrolling alone it could affect how officers do their jobs.

“For the safety of our officers & the public, PHX PD will now be moving to two-person patrols,” DiCiccio tweeted. “I’ve encouraged this for many years, while also pushing to hire more officers. Without hiring more officers, this will significantly reduce the number of patrols on the streets.”

The local law-enforcement community is on heightened alert after the court security officer was injured in the drive-by shooting.

The shooting occurred shortly after 11:30 a.m. outside the courthouse, at Washington Street and Fourth Avenue. The security officer was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, according to Sgt. Ann Justus, a Phoenix police spokesperson.

FBI spokeswoman Jill McCabe said the shooting suspect was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon. She added that additional information could not be provided at this time, but there was no threat to the public. 

On Saturday, two Los Angeles County deputies were shot by a person and seriously injured. According to the Los Angeles Times, the deputies underwent surgery on Saturday night and are expected to survive.

Police in Los Angeles County were still looking for the shooter.

In Phoenix, the shooting suspect was not identified, and federal court records have not been publicly filed in the case.

Officers across the country have felt under attack because of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has called for the end of systemic racism and excessive force practices by law enforcement.

The Phoenix Police Department has also been dealing with a spike in violent crime, particularly in homicides and aggravated assaults, in the first six months of 2020.

In August, the Police Department released an analysis of crime trends showing that homicides and aggravated assaults increased by 25% from the same time period last year. Homicides involving domestic violence saw a 140% increase, with 24 cases this year compared with 10 in the first half of 2019 in Phoenix, according to Fortune. 

Domestic violence deaths year to date through Aug. 3 jumped 180% compared with the same time period in 2019.

Fortune told The Arizona Republic in August that she could not give a specific reason why Phoenix has seen an increase in homicides.

“Putting a definitive stamp on the cause of crime rising or falling is impossible to do, but it’s clear the COVID-19 lockdown has changed the dynamics,” Fortune said in a statement. “Fewer people on the streets and more people at home seems to have impacted these numbers.”

Still, as of Sept. 15, COVID-19 has killed 105 officers across the country, three times more than gunfire, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.

Uriel Garcia covers public-safety issues in Arizona. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ujohnnyg.

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