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Over the weekend, 18-year-old Michael Brown died after being shot several times by a police officer. It's still unclear exactly what sparked the incident.
The shooting sparked protests and rioting, with the Missouri Governor, Jay Nixon saying the suburb looked 'like a war zone'.
Police in Ferguson have attracted widespread criticism for their response to the unrest amid allegations of police racism.
The county police response to daily, and nightly, protests since the shooting has been aggressive, with rifle-toting police in military-style fatigues and body armour deployed to crush dissent.
US military veterans took to social media, comparing their experience in combat with what was being shown in Ferguson.
Phillip Carter, a former Army officer said it appeared Ferguson police were carrying more firepower than he and his team had carried while on patrol during the height of the Iraq War.
Several other users, who identified as former military personnel, also expressed their shock at the heavy-handed approach the Ferguson police department took.
Governor Nixon has now appointed a local African-American officer, Captain Ron Johnson, to take charge, instead of the St Louis County police who had led the crackdown.
Johnson works for the Missouri Highway Patrol, which answers to the state government. He said police would show respect to the citizens as they try to restore calm.
"I grew up here and this is currently my community and my home. It means a lot to me personally that we break this cycle of violence and build trust, and show the utmost respect," he said, adding he understands "the anger and fear that the citizens of Ferguson are feeling".
The governor, however, did not cede to one key demand of the protesters. Control of the investigation into the police shooting of Brown will remain in the hands of the St Louis County force.
The US Department of Justice has already announced a separate federal investigation into whether the mainly white force had committed a civil rights violation in the majority black town.
The police crackdown in Ferguson, in which authorities fired tear gas, rubber bullets and sound bombs and arrested reporters, has sparked numerous complaints.
Many are also frustrated at the lack of information provided about the investigation, including withholding the name of the officer who shot Brown and even how many shots were fired.
President Barack Obama called for "peace and calm" on Thursday, adding authorities had a responsibility to be "open and transparent".
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