By Justin Keener , Ja’Ron K. Smith OPINION Fox News

The debate over how to address violent crime continues, as President Donald Trump authorizes the use of the National Guard in cities such as Washington, D.C., Portland, Memphis and Chicago to protect federal officers and buildings, and assist state and local police in their law enforcement duties. The White House argues the deployments are desperately needed to control crime in these areas. At the same time, officials in some of these jurisdictions, including Portland and Chicago, have sued to block the deployments, claiming they are unconstitutional and unnecessary. 

While the deployments are debated, we know that the National Guard cannot be deployed everywhere and indefinitely. Crime is local, and state and local officials must lead on implementing permanent solutions to fighting violent crime. There are many proven strategies for leaders to implement, starting with supporting the police. 

For instance, our country is in a law enforcement staffing crisis. It is estimated that from 2020 to 2024, the number of officers decreased roughly 5%. While modest gains have been made in the past year, these are driven by smaller agencies; large agencies continue to struggle. Los Angeles is short 1,000 officers, Chicago by 1,300, New York by 3,000, Philadelphia by 1,200, and Washington, D.C., is down about 500 officers. Staffing in California is at its lowest level in 30 years.

Read the full Op/Ed here at FoxNews.com.