Story highlights Source: On Friday police plan to release name of officer who shot Michael Brown

Missouri's governor says state troopers will take over security in Ferguson

Captain says "we are going to have ... the approach that we're in this together"

Justice Department to help local authorities with crowd control, Holder says

State troopers are taking over security in this St. Louis suburb after days of clashes between local police and protesters.

Gov. Jay Nixon said he decided to put the Missouri State Highway Patrol in charge of security because "at this particular point, the attitudes weren't improving, and the blocks towards expression appeared to be a flashpoint."

Lately, the community of Ferguson, which has been the scene of demonstrations and a strong police response in the wake of a weekend police shooting that left African-American teenager Michael Brown dead, has looked "more like a war zone, and it's not acceptable," Nixon said.

Now, authorities -- who've faced accusations that they've used excessive force in response to demonstrations -- will be taking a different tack in an effort to calm tensions, officials said Thursday.

"We're all about making sure that we allow peaceful and appropriate protests, that we use force only when necessary, that we step back a little bit and let some of the energy be felt in this region, appropriately," Nixon said

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Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Protesters march in Ferguson, Missouri, on Thursday, August 21 2014. The St. Louis suburb saw turmoil after a white police officer, Darren Wilson, fatally shot an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, on August 9, 2014. Some protesters and law enforcement officers clashed in the streets, leading to injuries and arrests. Hide Caption 1 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A crowd gathers in Ferguson on August 21, 2014. With the situation appearing to calm, Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the Missouri National Guard to begin withdrawing from the city. Hide Caption 2 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police escort a Wilson supporter to a police vehicle, away from crowds protesting Brown's death on Wednesday, August 20, 2014. Police have said Brown and Wilson struggled over the officer's gun; some witnesses said Brown had his hands in the air when he was shot. Hide Caption 3 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Lightning streaks over protesters on August 20, 2014. Hide Caption 4 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators protest on August 20, 2014. Hide Caption 5 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder meets with Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol at a Ferguson restaurant on August 20, 2014. Holder came to Missouri to talk to community leaders and review the federal civil rights investigation into Brown's shooting. Hide Caption 6 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Protesters march through the streets of Ferguson on August 20, 2014. Hide Caption 7 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police point out a demonstrator who has his arms raised before moving in to arrest him Tuesday, August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 8 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People watch from inside a restaurant as protesters rally August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 9 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police arrest a demonstrator on August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 10 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police charge into the media work area with weapons drawn as they try to control demonstrators on August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 11 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A protester speaks to a police officer on August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 12 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People on August 19 stand near a memorial where Brown was shot and killed, 2014. Hide Caption 13 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Protesters march on August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 14 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police watch as protesters march August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 15 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A demonstrator is arrested on August 19, 2014. Hide Caption 16 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police try to control protesters on Monday, August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 17 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police lead a man away during a protest August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 18 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A demonstrator shouts during a protest on West Florissant Avenue, one of Ferguson's main streets, on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 19 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol pulls his men back from aggressive protesters on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 20 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police arrest a demonstrator August 18, 2014, after peaceful protests gave way to angry confrontations with authorities. Hide Caption 21 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Law enforcement officers stand guard during a protest on West Florissant Avenue on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 22 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A woman helps a man affected by tear gas August 18, 2014. The situation overnight deteriorated after a handful of protesters threw rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails at police. Officers responded by firing stun grenades and tear gas canisters. Hide Caption 23 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Officers stand with weapons drawn during a protest on West Florissant Avenue on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 24 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Musician Nelly, center, joins demonstrators in Ferguson on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 25 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators receive red roses as they protest August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 26 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators march on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 27 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson The Rev. Jesse Jackson shakes hands with a police officer as he visits Ferguson's demonstration area on August 18, 2014. Hide Caption 28 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A protester picks up a tear gas canister on Sunday, August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 29 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police wait to advance after using tear gas to disperse protesters August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 30 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Water gets poured into a woman's eyes after a tear gas attack by police on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 31 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A man runs through clouds of tear gas on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 32 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Protesters react as police fire tear gas at them August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 33 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police advance through a cloud of tear gas on August 17, 2014. Most of the crowd had dispersed after a curfew went into effect at midnight, St. Louis County authorities said. Hide Caption 34 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People take cover from tear gas inside a McDonald's on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 35 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A large group of police officers advance toward protesters on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 36 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A man fights the effects of tear gas in Ferguson on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 37 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden, the parents of Michael Brown, attend a rally at Greater Grace Church in Ferguson on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 38 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson The Rev. Al Sharpton hugs McSpadden during the rally. Hide Caption 39 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol speaks at the rally. He had been appointed by the governor to take control of security operations. Hide Caption 40 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators defy a curfew early on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 41 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police fire tear gas at demonstrators after curfew on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 42 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A law enforcement officer aims his rifle August 17,, 2014, after tear gas was fired to disperse a crowd. Hide Caption 43 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Law enforcement officers check a building on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 44 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People attend a protest after the midnight curfew on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 45 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A law enforcement officer watches as tear gas is fired to disperse a crowd on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 46 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police stand guard before the midnight curfew on Saturday, August 16, 2014. Hide Caption 47 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People loot the Ferguson Market and Liquor store on August 16, 2014. Several businesses were looted as police held their positions nearby. Hide Caption 48 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Missouri State Highway Patrol officers listen to taunts from demonstrators during a protest on Friday, August 15, 2014. Hide Caption 49 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators protest with their hands up on August 15, 2014. The "hands up" gesture has become a symbol in protests as Brown, according to eyewitnesses, was trying to surrender when he was shot multiple times. Hide Caption 50 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police confront demonstrators on August 15, 2014. Hide Caption 51 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A demonstrator throws a tear gas canister back at police on August 15, 2014. Hide Caption 52 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police confront demonstrators on August 15, 2014. Hide Caption 53 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson ri – Thousands of demonstrators march down a Ferguson street with members of the St. Louis County Police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Thursday, August 14, 2014. Hide Caption 54 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators hold signs as traffic moves slowly past them on August 14, 2014. Hide Caption 55 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People scramble as police fire tear gas on August 17, 2014. Hide Caption 56 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson smiles at demonstrators on August 14, 2014. Johnson was appointed to lead security as state troopers took over after days of clashes between protesters and local police. Hide Caption 57 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson The Rev. Traci Blackmon uses a megaphone to talk to a large group of demonstrators on August 14, 2014. Hide Caption 58 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A man picks up a flaming bottle and prepares to throw it as a line of police advance in the distance on Wednesday, August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 59 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police stand in clouds of smoke as they clash with protesters on August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 60 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson An Al-Jazeera television crew runs for cover as police fire tear gas at its position on August 13, 2014. Video and images on social media showed police later breaking down the journalists' gear. Hide Caption 61 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A protester runs from tear gas exploding around him on August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 62 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police stand guard among demonstrators on August 13, 2014 Hide Caption 63 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson fields questions during a news conference on August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 64 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A small group of protesters block traffic in the street before police arrived on August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 65 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A protester throws a tear gas canister back toward police on August 13, 2014. Hide Caption 66 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police detain a man on Tuesday, August 12, 2014. Hide Caption 67 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson People congregate at the Greater St. Marks Family Church in St. Louis along with the family of Michael Brown and the Rev. Al Sharpton on August 12, 2014. Hide Caption 68 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Michael Brown Sr. stands alongside Sharpton, right, during a news conference in St. Louis on August 12, 2014. Hide Caption 69 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Demonstrators protest August 12 in Ferguson, 2014. Hide Caption 70 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A makeshift memorial sits in the middle of the street where Michael Brown was shot and killed. Hide Caption 71 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A woman tries to calm an emotional protester during a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Ferguson Police Department on August 11, 2014. Hide Caption 72 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Phaedra Parks, left, comforts Desuirea Harris, the grandmother of Michael Brown, during a news conference in Jennings, Missouri, on August 11, 2014. Hide Caption 73 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police officers arrest a man who refused to leave when police cleared streets in Ferguson on August 11, 2014. Hide Caption 74 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson A burned-out QuikTrip gas station smolders on August 11, 2014 after protesters looted and burned the Ferguson building the night before. Hide Caption 75 of 76 Photos: Photos: Emotions run high in Ferguson Police officers and protesters confront each other on Saturday, August 9, the same day Michael Brown was shot and killed. Hide Caption 76 of 76

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Chosen by the state's governor to head up the new security operation, Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson said he planned to meet with protesters Thursday.

"We are going to have a different approach and have the approach that we're in this together," he said.

As groups of protesters grew Thursday night, the demonstrations were calm.

Some said they were prepared for police aggression, despite what authorities have promised.

"Gas me, shoot me, I will stand my ground," one protester's sign said.

But Antonio French, a St. Louis alderman who was arrested at a demonstration in Ferguson Wednesday, said he's already noticed the new tone.

"Really, it has been the police presence, the heavy-handed presence, which has escalated the situation and I think led to the violence each night. And so it's good to see this new approach," he said. "Already there is a different attitude and a different interaction between the crowd and police, and I am very hopeful for a peaceful night."

And protesters may be close to getting a response to one key demand.

On Friday, police in Ferguson plan to release the name of the officer who shot Brown, a source close to the investigation told CNN.

Police chief: City is a 'powder keg'

Earlier Thursday, Ferguson's police chief described the city as a "powder keg."

"The whole situation is not good at this point," Chief Thomas Jackson said a day after clashes in which police fired smoke bombs, tear gas and rubber pellets at protesters who he said had thrown firebombs at police and engaged in gunfire.

Jackson said police would talk about changing "not only the tactics but also the appearance" of law enforcement.

U.S. Justice Department officials have also offered to assist local authorities control crowds "without relying on unnecessarily extreme displays of force," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement Thursday. The offer has been accepted, he said.

Jackson said protesters also have to do their share by remaining peaceful.

"We need everybody to tone it down," he said.

Governor: 'This has clearly touched a nerve'

Ferguson has been the scene of protests since Saturday, when a police officer shot and killed Brown, who was unarmed. Police say he was trying to grab the officer's gun. Witnesses say the 18-year-old was holding his hands in the air when he was fatally shot.

And protests over the controversial case have extended beyond the St. Louis suburb. Demonstrators expressed solidarity with Brown and Ferguson's protesters at so-called "day of rage" protests across the country on Thursday.

Protesters are angry that police have not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting, and they worry that a cover-up is in effect. St. Louis County police and federal investigators are looking into Brown's death. No charges have been filed.

Although locals say race relations have long been troubled between the city's mostly African-American population and the mostly white police force, anger spilled out after Brown's death, resulting in protests, violence, looting and fires.

Brown's death and demonstrations over the case have resonated far beyond that city, Nixon said Thursday.

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"These are deep and existing problems not only in Missouri but in America, and this has clearly touched a nerve," he said.

President Barack Obama spoke out on the situation Thursday, criticizing how some police responded.

"There is never an excuse for violence against police or for those who would use this tragedy as a cover for vandalism or looting," he said. "There is also no excuse for police to use excessive force against peaceful protests or to throw protesters in jail for lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights."

Their comments came after a night in which heavily armed police and protesters clashed, two reporters were briefly detained and an Al Jazeera America camera crew complained that police shot tear gas at them.

After ordering protesters and reporters to turn off their cameras, police fired smoke bombs, tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters after some threw objects at them Wednesday, according to media accounts. CNN crews have not been ordered to turn off their cameras during the protests.

Twelve people were arrested -- including the two reporters , Jackson said. Two officers were injured, including one whose ankle was broken when a brick was thrown at him.

Cousin: 'We're still looking for answers'

On Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed a lawsuit seeking the release of the officer's name under the state's open records law.

It's unclear whether the suit will succeed. Missouri law provides a specific exemption barring the release of records that authorities conclude are "likely to pose a clear and present danger" to victims, witnesses or others.

Officials say police officers, and others in the administration and police force, have been subjected to death threats.

Neil Bruntrager, general counsel for the St. Louis police officer's association, said the name of the officer involved in the shooting should be withheld until an investigation is completed.

"The moment you put a police officer's name out there, that police officer becomes a target," he said.

On Thursday, the shadowy activist group Anonymous published the name of the officer it believes responsible for the shooting. Earlier, the group claimed to have hacked the city servers and obtained dispatch recordings and other information.

Jackson later said the group had the wrong officer. CNN is not reporting the name.

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Brown's family members say they're frustrated with the lack of information from police.

"We're still looking for answers," cousin Eric Davis said. "They have not been transparent in any shape, form or fashion. We're in the dark."