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North Dakota Highway Patrol troopers working near the Dakota Access Pipeline protests are not wearing name tags, due to concerns about officers being threatened online.

"Early on when the protests were starting, there were numerous incidents of social media posts identifying officers by their name and posting of specific threats towards those officers on social media," Lt. Tom Iverson said.

Iverson said officers also were advised to monitor their social media accounts to make sure they were not providing identifying information for "someone that would want to do harm to you or your family."

Troopers were notified by email on Aug. 13 and the change took place the following Monday, he said.

They are still wearing badges with their numbers, which would allow anyone to report an officer who acted badly.

Iverson said the threatening posts were found through simple keyword searches on social media sites, such as Facebook. He would not share the posts with the Tribune, citing an ongoing criminal investigation.

"It makes no difference what they take off; they're still here," said Frank White Bull, a tribal councilman on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

-- Bismarck Tribune reporter Lauren Donovan contributed to this article.

Reach Caroline Grueskin at 701-250-8225 or at caroline.grueskin@bismarcktribune.com

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