MINNEAPOLIS — Police officers in Minneapolis and St. Paul are being told to remain vigilant after eight officers were killed in recent shootings in Texas and Louisiana.

In a memo on Sunday, Minneapolis police Chief Janee Harteau directed all officers to ride in pairs until further notice. Harteau’s memo was issued after three officers were killed Sunday in Baton Rouge.

Harteau also told her officers to protect each other, provide backup and wear their bulletproof vests.

“It is always important, but now it is critical, that each of you be on high alert and be extremely vigilant,” Harteau said in her memo. She added: “Be cautious on every 911 call, even those that are often deemed ‘routine.’ Look for any setup calls and provide info on anything that appears suspicious.”

On Monday, Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek ordered no more solo patrols for his deputies.

For now, deputies in the agency’s emergency service division — which responds to 911 calls, deals with civil matters and serves warrants — will start pairing up as a precaution, sheriff’s office spokesman Jon Collins said.

While that means fewer squad cars patrolling city streets, Collins said, “Officer safety is a top priority so we feel it was a needed change for now.”

Police-community relations have been tense in recent weeks. On July 5, Alton Sterling, who is black, was killed by officers in Baton Rouge. A day later, Philando Castile, who is also black, was shot by an officer in Falcon Heights, a suburb of St. Paul. His girlfriend livestreamed the shooting’s aftermath on Facebook.

The day after Castile’s death, a gunman killed five officers at a demonstration in Dallas to protest the police shootings. There have been attacks on other officers around the country, including Sunday’s attack in Baton Rouge.

St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders told The Associated Press that officers in that department are also riding in pairs. Linders said they began doing that on July 7, the day of the Dallas shootings.

Both St. Paul and Minneapolis police are monitoring potential threats and say there have been no direct threats to their officers.