LAPD Desperate to Keep the Peace After Nipsey Hussle's Murder

Nipsey Hussle's brutal murder is putting cops on high alert for gang retaliation ... and police are desperate to keep the peace and prevent further bloodshed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD has serious concerns the fallout from the rapper's murder will lead to more deaths, and they're planning to step up patrols near Crenshaw and surrounding neighborhoods to curb gang violence and revenge killings.

We're told police will be relying on gang intervention officers to work with local communities, and those officers will be tasked with trying to calm people down. Officers won't just be hitting the streets in Nipsey's community ... our sources say LAPD is sending extra manpower to rival hoods as well.

We broke the story ... Nipsey was shot to death Sunday afternoon outside his store in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, just south of Crenshaw, and we're told the killing appears to be gang-related.