Gov. Roy Romer issued an executive order Tuesday declaring a state of emergency to allow the Colorado Army National Guard to assist in the search for three men suspected of shooting a Cortez police officer and wounding two others.

The order said local governments do not have adequate resources or aircraft to search the area west and northwest of Cortez where the men vanished into canyons.

The order authorized the use of helicopters, personnel and equipment.

"The governor has to go through this process to allow the national guard to assist the local law enforcement with the apprehension of these individuals," said Matt Sugar, Romer’s deputy press secretary. "This isn’t a military operation; this is just the National Guard helping out in a search."

The executive order says the adjutant general or officers of the National Guard are authorized to "order to state active duty as many members of the Colorado National Guard as necessary for the purposes of response and mitigation of this emergency."

Sugar said it was a mutual decision between local law enforcement officers and the governor to declare the emergency. The governor verbally declared a state of emergency Friday.

Sugar did not know what, if any, specific tracking equipment the National Guard would bring to the search.