In August, Gov. Tate Reeves deployed 200 troops from the Mississippi National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 204th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, to Washington, D.C. They were sent, Reeves said, in support of President Donald Trump’s push to “return law and order to our nation’s capital.”
“Crime is out of control there, and it’s clear something must be done to combat it,” Reeves added.
According to former senior members of the Mississippi National Guard, these troops have had no relevant training to prepare for such a mission. Rather, their training has focused on combat missions in support of active duty units. At most, they received a half day of riot control training and may have participated in security support following major disasters.
The use of National Guard troops by presidents in support of law enforcement has been rare and occurred primarily in response to civil unrest or disorder. The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the military from enforcing domestic law. When the president “nationalizes” National Guard troops, they fall under the act.
“Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have stated they intend to deploy National Guard troops to other cities across the country, raising concerns they’re ‘creating a national police force with the president as its chief,’” the Associated Press reported last week. A California judge has already ruled that Trump violated Posse Comitatus by sending National Guard troops into Los Angeles.
Sen. Roger Wicker seems to think such usage of the National Guard is a good thing. “If I were one of those mayors, I’d be glad to have the help,” the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee told the AP.
Help to do what?
Stationing troops throughout cities can hinder crime, but only so long as the troops remain. Is the president’s plan to permanently deploy troops in cities with high crime? That would be an entirely new mission for the National Guard. And armed soldiers cruising neighborhoods in military transport would surely look like a national police force.
Troops untrained in law enforcement, deployed on temporary duty, may look and sound good to the president and politicians, but are not a practical solution to inner city crime.
If the president wants to permanently hinder crime, he should look at what Gov. Reeves and the legislature have done in our capital city. The Capitol Police, funded and operated by the state, are having notable, lasting impacts on crime in Jackson. These are not temporary troops, but well-paid, well-trained law enforcement officers.
Perhaps the governor should be sending that message to Washington, not troops.
“The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps” – Proverbs 14:15.
Bill Crawford is the author of A Republican’s Lament: Mississippi Needs Good Government Conservatives.
