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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is sending dozens of National Guard troops to aid the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Police Department, a move intended to free up officers to focus more on fighting crime while declaring an emergency in the state鈥檚 largest city.

The assistance, in the form of 60 to 70 guardsmen, comes after a March 31 request from APD Chief Harold Medina for the military to fulfill 鈥渘on-law enforcement duties鈥� such as providing security at crime scene perimeters and transporting prisoners, among others.

鈥淭he community must see NMNG (New Mexico National Guard) members not as a military force but as trained professionals dedicated to supporting and protecting residents,鈥� Medina said in a letter to the governor.

During a news briefing Tuesday, sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Mayor Tim Keller said the guardsmen will be unarmed and wear polo shirts instead of uniforms and 鈥渨ill not be involved in community interaction or use military vehicles.鈥�

Medina said the initiative is a pilot project that has been in the works for months after the NMNG offered help and one the department will measure to determine its success. He said the guardsmen would have the same authority and fulfill the same roles as police service aides, who often can be seen blocking traffic around crime scenes.

He said guardsmen would also take the place of officers securing the courthouse, airport and other facilities, as well as provide medical support for those living on the streets along East Central. The assistance would free up 20 to 30 officers for law enforcement and crime-fighting, he said, adding that some officers have to hold scene perimeters for several hours.

APD showed off quarter-year statistics that indicated large decreases in crime, compared with 2024, and said the extra help could get those numbers down further.

鈥淲hat we want to do is double down on what鈥檚 working 鈥� and what鈥檚 working is technology and civilians 鈥� freeing up officers to fight crime and keep those statistics going in this powerfully good direction,鈥� Keller said. 鈥淎 short-term way to help with that is by the National Guardsmen helping out.鈥�

Another bonus, Keller said, is the city doesn鈥檛 have to pay for the guardsmen, and it won鈥檛 impact APD鈥檚 budget.

On Monday, Lujan Grisham signed an executive order that directed up to $750,000 to be made available for the deployment of guardsmen 鈥渘eeded to provide military support to civil authorities as needed for this emergency.鈥�

鈥淭he safety of New Mexicans is my top priority,鈥� Lujan Grisham said in a news release Tuesday announcing the order. 鈥淏y deploying our National Guard to support APD with essential duties, we鈥檙e ensuring that trained police officers can focus on what they do best 鈥� keeping our communities safe. This partnership represents our commitment to addressing the fentanyl crisis and juvenile crime with every resource at our disposal.鈥�

The governor鈥檚 executive order left the timeline for the NMNG鈥檚 presence open-ended but said they would arrive in mid-May and, according to the release, address 鈥渙ngoing public safety challenges in the city, particularly along the Central Avenue corridor and other specific areas.鈥�

鈥淭heir training to assist APD is already underway under the supervision of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security, Department of Public Safety, State Police and APD,鈥� the release states.

Medina and Keller could not give a timeline on how long the guardsmen would be needed, but Medina said the hope is to get to 1,000 officers 鈥� with currently around 850 鈥� by the time the NMNG leaves.

A Republican lawmaker and an advocacy organization decried the plan on Tuesday for different reasons.

Sen. Nicole Tobiassen, R-sa国际传媒官网网页入口, said the city鈥檚 鈥渃rime crisis and lawlessness is a testament to the absolute failure of Mayor Tim Keller and his progressive policies.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 sad that his own police chief had to go over his head and seek state resources in order to try and keep up with the rampant violent crime, drug trafficking, juvenile crime, and gang activity that plagues our city,鈥� she said in a news release. 鈥淢ayor Keller and the progressive Democrats鈥� failed leadership in the City of sa国际传媒官网网页入口 have made our community into a literal war zone and we must change course before not even state resources can combat the chaos allowed in sa国际传媒官网网页入口.鈥�

Daniel Williams, policy advocate at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, said in a release that the assistance was 鈥渁 show of force, not a show of solutions.鈥�

鈥淗istory has shown that military collaboration with local law enforcement often leads to increased civil rights violations, racial profiling, and criminalization of vulnerable populations, particularly those experiencing homelessness and poverty,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he governor鈥檚 past policy proposals too often have centered on efforts to criminalize and institutionalize unhoused New Mexicans, without a commensurate emphasis on solving the root causes of crime.鈥�

Medina assured during the briefing that the guardsmen 鈥�(do) not have law enforcement authority鈥� and 鈥渃annot take law enforcement action.鈥�

鈥淚 just don鈥檛 want this to turn into, 鈥極h my God, the National Guard is here to save the city.鈥� No, the National Guard is here to help clear up officers,鈥� he said.

At the end of this year鈥檚 60-day legislative session, Lujan Grisham said she planned to call lawmakers back to Santa Fe for a special session focused on juvenile crime and gun violence. But she indicated Tuesday such a session is not imminent, following talks with legislative leaders over the last two weeks.

The executive order comes on the heels of back-to-back operations along East Central to tackle crime, particularly fentanyl usage.

APD had its own operation that started late last year, and currently, New Mexico State Police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff鈥檚 Office and the 2nd Judicial District Attorney鈥檚 Office have an ongoing operation to tackle crime in the area.

Both have been declared a success by the respective agencies, with hundreds of arrests being made. Those agencies undertaking the latter, continuing, operation said nothing will change on their end.

Nancy Laflin, spokeswoman for the 2nd Judicial District Attorney鈥檚 Office, said 鈥淥peration Route 66鈥� had netted 400 arrests over seven weeks, recovering dozens of guns and stolen vehicles. She added, 鈥淏ut of course, we appreciate any and all help from law enforcement as we continue to clean up the streets of sa国际传媒官网网页入口.鈥�

Deputy Deanna Aragon, a BCSO spokesperson, said the agency appreciated 鈥渢he governor鈥檚 concern and her efforts to support public safety.鈥�

鈥淲e are already seeing measurable success through Operation Route 66, a coordinated effort that is producing real results. The numbers speak for themselves,鈥� Aragon said. 鈥�... We will continue doing the work that keeps our streets safer every day.鈥�

This is not the first time Lujan Grisham has declared an emergency over crime issues or dispatched reinforcements to sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 streets 鈥� with mixed results.

In September 2023, Lujan Grisham declared a public health emergency over gun violence, spurred by the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy. She ordered a firearm ban in public places in Bernalillo County, which was quickly challenged in court and blocked by a federal judge.

And in 2019, Lujan Grisham dispatched dozens of New Mexico State Police officers to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 for the Metro Surge Operation after University of New Mexico baseball player Jackson Weller was fatally shot in Nob Hill.

That operation came under scrutiny when many of the prosecutions fell apart because the officers, who came from all over the state, didn鈥檛 show up to hearings.

Unlike those initiatives, the new executive order came at the request of the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Police Department, which has, in recent years, touted its officers successes in keeping crime on the decrease, or level, while also making more arrests.

When asked if the situation constituted a true emergency, Medina said, 鈥淥n a weekly basis, I look at all of the media鈥檚 stories. I hear 鈥榗rime crisis.鈥� I hear 鈥榗rime is out of control.鈥� So I would say that 鈥� there is a perception that there is an emergency in the community that is out there.鈥�

In his letter to Lujan Grisham, Medina said he wanted to keep the momentum made by APD officers and expressed the need to have them on the streets, not driving prisoners to the Metropolitan Detention Center or providing security at city facilities and courthouses.

The guardsmen could also be used for helping with document filing and organization of APD cases for prosecutors, operating drones and distributing food, water and aid to 鈥渧ulnerable populations.鈥�

Medina wrote that deploying NMNG 鈥渋n these roles would enable APD to reallocate resources more effectively, sustaining continuous enforcement and essential services 24 hours a day.鈥� He called the reinforcements 鈥渃ritical to improving public safety and the quality of life for sa国际传媒官网网页入口 residents.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping it鈥檚 going to be effective, but if it鈥檚 not, we will just send people home,鈥� Keller said. 鈥淲e invited these folks in to see if the program will help sa国际传媒官网网页入口. If it is helpful, we may look at this in other areas.