ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Last week, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in the city, ordering dozens of New Mexico National Guard Troops to help with Albuquerque’s crime problem.

But police union leaders worry those guardsmen and women aren’t prepared for what they may face here and have questions about the resources they’ll have on our streets.

“I hope they equip you with necessary tools to get access to resources you need when bad things happen because it’s Albuquerque and things happen fast and we have a lot of crime,” APOA President Shaun Willoughby said.

That was Willoughby’s message to the national guard in the first time we heard from rank-and-file representatives about Operation Zia Shield. Willoughby said officers don’t have a problem with the troops coming in but calls the operation “highly political” and said it’s being sold as the answer to an ongoing and complex problem.

“Albuquerque has real crime problems, and we need real crime solutions,” he said. “They’re going into a situation I think they’re ill equipped for and I think that’s a disservice to them.”

The governor is deploying dozens of troops to do support work for APD starting in mid-May. It’s designed to free up officers to patrol the city. But Willoughby doesn’t think it will make a dent in crime.

City leaders originally pointed to eight areas needing immediate help. They included scene security and traffic control at critical incidents, medical assistance and help for homeless people along Central Avenue, transporting prisoners, security on city buses, in metro courtrooms, and at the Albuquerque Sunport, paperwork for the district attorney’s office, and assisting in operating drone deployments.

But since the announcement, city leaders appear to have walked back some of the responsibilities the troops will have here. Friday, APD Chief Harold Medina cut the responsibilities to three areas including expanding APD’s drone program, helping with evidence collection at the Prisoner Transport Center, and assisting with scene security at critical incidents.

“If you really want to make an impact in crime get me 50 state police officers that are excited to be in Albuquerque and do proactive policing and let’s see what happens,” said Willoughby.

He also has concerns about the troops’ safety. The national guard members won’t be armed or in uniform. Instead, they’ll wear marked civilian clothing.

“Are these guys going to be equipped with radio? Are they going to be in contact with Albuquerque Police Officers if they get into something or they get into a situation they can’t deal with in a polo shirt? Where are the services coming from to help them? These are all real big questions that need to be answered,” he said.

We reached out to a spokesperson for the national guard about those resources including radios but didn’t hear back, but we do know national guard members are currently training for the unique deployment. We questioned APD leadership about staffing last week. A spokesperson told us there are 477 sworn officers in field services among all area commands, but Willoughby claims their information shows there are fewer than 300 patrol officers.