By calling National Guard troops into Ferguson , Missouri , authorities are taking the situation `` to the opposite extreme of community policing , '' a former FBI assistant director says . Tom Fuentes , a CNN law enforcement analyst , notes that just a few days ago , authorities were out on the streets shaking hands with marchers . Capt . Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol `` was like Gandhi , promising to ensure their safety , '' Fuentes said . But growing violence -- amid protests over the shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown by a police officer -- changed the situation . `` Given these deliberate , coordinated and intensifying violent attacks on lives and property in Ferguson , I am directing the highly capable men and women of the Missouri National Guard ... in restoring peace and order to this community , '' Gov . Jay Nixon said in a statement Monday . Police in the Ferguson area , just like many all over the country , have military equipment , which they used last week . So why bring in the Guard at all ? `` You do n't want extremely tired , fatigued , overtaxed police officers out there day after day , night after night , '' Fuentes said . And state patrol officers who came in from out of town and are staying in hotels , working around the clock , are surely getting fatigued as well , he said . `` You do n't need more military equipment ; it 's more of a manpower issue . '' But there are other reasons it may make sense to replace police on the scene , analysts say . Members of the National Guard may better follow a `` unified chain of command , '' said Jason Fritz , an Army veteran and senior editor of War on the Rocks , which analyzes national security issues . Complete coverage of what 's happening in Ferguson . In this case , that could be a big improvement . `` I 've never seen such a disjointed police effort as this , '' Fuentes said . Nixon said the Guard will assist Col. Ron Replogle , head of the State Highway Patrol , `` in restoring peace and order to this community . '' In a later statement , Nixon said the Guard 's `` immediate and limited responsibilities '' are to `` provide protection , and ensure the safety of our Unified Command Center , which was the target last night of a coordinated attack . The Guard will concentrate its resources on carrying out this limited mission . '' `` With these additional resources in place , the Missouri State Highway Patrol and local law enforcement will continue to respond appropriately to incidents of lawlessness and violence , and protect the civil rights of all peaceful citizens to make their voices heard . '' If military police are among the Guard troops , they 'll have special training in crowd control that may help , Fritz says . Fuentes rejects that idea , saying National Guard troops ' training does not prepare them for situations like this . `` It 's not their mission to do local law enforcement , '' he said . But Fuentes and Fritz agree on another big reason it might make sense to bring in the National Guard : Residents are fed up with police . Marchers have accused police of responding with disproportionate violence against a mostly peaceful crowd . And residents have described protesters helping protect stores from being looted while police did nothing . Police also infuriated protesters by releasing a video that they said shows Michael Brown involved in a convenience store robbery -- even though police themselves have said it does not relate to the police officer having stopped Brown as he was walking down the street . By bringing in National Guard troops , Nixon is moving both Ferguson and St. Louis County police out of the way . `` That might be enough , '' Fritz said . Magazine : The Aftermath in Ferguson . Read more about the flash point in the Heartland at CNN.com/US .
Missouri Gov . Jay Nixon describes the National Guard 's `` limited mission '' Bringing in the National Guard is `` the opposite extreme , '' former FBI official Tom Fuentes says . The military has been called to help with law enforcement and disaster relief efforts after hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit New Orleans last year. Simply not being police `` might be enough , '' says an Army veteran .