Update: St. Louis County Police Will Offer Increased Elementary School Patrols Following Connecticut Mass Shooting

St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch announced via Twitter Friday afternoon that officers will provide extra patrols at elementary schools until further notice.

"We hope our presence will calm fears," he tweeted.

Those fears come in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Newtown, CT, friday where authorities say a man went to an elementary school and killed at least 26 people, including his mother, according to Newtown Patch.

At least 18 children have been killed in the Newtown shooting, according to authorities.

Update: 3:45 p.m. Friday:

County Police spokesman Randy Vaughn told Patch Friday afternoon that the move makes elementary schools "a first priority" for patrols, and applies only to the areas in unincorporated St. Louis County or areas the department otherwise has a service contract.

Vaughn emphasized that there is no evidence of any localized threat.

Among Patch-area school districts impacted by the move are all or parts of the Parkway, Affton, Bayless, Lindbergh, Mehlville-Oakville schools, and the Rockwood School district.

"As a country we have been through this too many times," President Barack Obama said in a statement to the nation Friday afternoon, offering condolences to the families of those touched by the shooting.