Local and state police in Ferguson have been banned from wearing "I am Darren Wilson" bracelets while on duty and in uniform.

The prohibition, confirmed Friday in a Department of Justice letter, comes after a photo of a cop sporting the black band with white lettering on his wrist caught fire on social media and Ferguson residents complained about the bracelets.

Wilson is the white Ferguson police officer that killed unarmed black teenager Mike Brown, whose death sparked ongoing protests and criticism of police discrimination. Demonstrators adopted the phrase "I am Mike Brown," early on, which, like "I am Darren Wilson" has been printed on merchandise.

An official at DOJ, which launched a civil rights investigation into the Ferguson police department following the shooting, wrote in the letter to Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson, that the bracelets have "upset and agitated" Ferguson residents, who showed federal authorities pictures of police wearing them while policing protests earlier this week.

While the department appreciates self expression, the bracelets are adding fuel to a fire still burning in Ferguson, Christy Lopez, deputy chief of the civil rights division's special litigation section said in the publicly released letter.

We are keenly aware of the importance of individual expression of opinions, even those that some find offensive, insensitive, or harmful. We also acknowledge that the message that many officers intend to convey by wearing these bracelets may be different than the message received by many of those who see these bracelets. Nonetheless, there is no question that police departments can and should closely regulate officers' professional appearance and behavior, particularly where, as here, the expressive accessory itself is exacerbating an already tense atmosphere between law enforcement and residents in Ferguson. These bracelets reinforce the very "us versus them" mentality that many residents of Ferguson believe exists.

Some of the officers who were photographed wearing the bracelets also blacked out their name plates with tapes, which is against Ferguson police policies. It's unclear which police department the officers wearing the bracelets were from, Lopez said, adding that county and state law enforcement will also abide by the prohibition.

"As you are all too aware, the actions of other police officers while in Ferguson can impact your community as much as the actions of your own officers," she said.