Blagojevich said he hasn’t talked to the mayor about the issue---he planned to call Daley---and that the administration's discussions are preliminary.

"I think today it's fair to say that violent crime in Chicago is out of control," Blagojevich said. "That in certain communities in the city of Chicago, it's reaching epidemic proportions."

Seizing upon the controversy enveloping Mayor Richard Daley over Chicago gun violence and city policing, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Wednesday he's holding discussions with his State Police and Illinois National Guard officials about any crime-fighting role they can play.

"I'm offering the resources of the state to the city to work in a constructive way with Mayor Daley to do everything that we possibly can to help them end this violence," said Blagojevich at a news conference in which he signed into law a measure that would increase penalties for adults who give minors guns.

The governor said one idea is to bring state troopers into the city to monitor hot spots.

Just how the State Police would play a significant role is questionable since Blagojevich has only recently begun rebuilding its ranks after union officials say the agency lost more than 10 percent of its positions from 2001 through 2005 and patrolling of many areas, particularly during nights and weekends, is spotty at best.

Blagojevich suggested that recently retired troopers might be able to come back for a few months to help out in Chicago.

The governor's offer could be more politically embarrassing than helpful for Daley, who has been conscious of the city's image as he tries to win the 2016 Olympic Games.

Daley spokeswoman Jackie Heard said the mayor found out about the idea through media reports.

"We're obviously not going to turn away help on a front as important as this," Heard said. "At the same time, we're a little puzzled about how it would work. It's unprecedented. Obviously, help in the form of reducing the number of guns on the street go a long way to addressing the problem."

Despite Blagojevich’s repeated vows to help Daley’s efforts on major gun-control legislation in Springfield, the governor has exerted little of what capital remains among rank-and-file lawmakers on an issue that still pits strong feelings between Downstate and urban voters.

The governor's offer of assistance comes after Daley's opposition last week to a major gambling expansion bill that would provide money to help Blagojevich create a $34 billion public works construction bill. City Hall wants a casino, but doesn't want to pay the state $500 million for the right to have one, as Blagojevich’s plan seeks. The proposal has little support in the Illinois House, headed by Blagojevich nemesis, Speaker Michael Madigan.

Blagojevich and Daley have not been politically close. Like Daley, Blagojevich has alienated many leading Democrats in the state---Senate President Emil Jones being a strong exception---over a style of governing that critics contend is dominated more by a personal publicity pop than putting any substance behind it.