Police Chief Thomas Jackson -- a central figure in the protests that flared in Ferguson , Missouri , following the shooting of an unarmed black teen -- says he has no plans to step down despite mounting calls that he must go . Saying he `` intends to see this thing through , '' Jackson told CNN 's `` Erin Burnett OutFront '' on Thursday that he has been working with community leaders and others to create a dialogue in the community . `` Yes , I think I can see this through and come out on the other side with the community , the region and even the country a whole lot better , '' he said . Jackson 's statements come as the grand jury is expected any day to deliver a decision on whether to indict a white police officer in the shooting death of Michael Brown . Law enforcement is girding itself for the possibility of more violent clashes like the ones that raged for days in the St. Louis suburb following the August 9 shooting . Brown 's father calls for calm . Gov . Jay Nixon took authority from the Ferguson Police Department and gave it to state authorities in the days following Brown 's shooting . Nixon said he put state troopers in charge because tension between law enforcement and demonstrators `` appeared to be at a flash point . '' This week , ahead of the anticipated grand jury announcement , Nixon declared a state of emergency in Missouri and called up National Guard troops to play a backup role . Even so , Jackson said local police officers will be patrolling the streets . `` I 'm running the response here locally , '' he said . That 's unlikely to sit well with a large number of critics , who say the only answer is for Jackson to go . Criticism of the police chief has come from many directions -- Brown 's family and friends , demonstrators , the U.S. Justice Department and members of the media -- over how his department handled the aftermath of Brown 's shooting . Ferguson Police and St. Louis County law enforcement were widely criticized for being too heavy-handed in dealing with protesters and in how they interacted with media . Reporters said they were targeted for arrest or physical attacks from law enforcement for simply trying to do their job . How Ferguson became a global conversation . CNN reported in October that Jackson was bowing to pressure to step down . But since then , he has wavered multiple times and now wants to stay on longer , government sources familiar with the discussions told CNN on Thursday . The plan continues to be , according to the sources , for Jackson to be encouraged to step down for the good of the police department and the community . The conversations are part of a broader behind-the-scenes debate about how to tackle poor police relations within black communities in the St. Louis region . Some officials say one issue the Brown shooting has exposed is one faced by a number of small police departments -- less-experienced , lower-paid officers . Jackson told CNN that the `` pool of candidates is generally pretty small , '' and that a goal of the police department has been to work to hire and retain qualified officers . The police department currently has four black police officers , he said .
Police Chief Thomas Jackson believes he can weather the crisis . He has been criticized for his handling of the aftermath of the killing of Michael Brown . Jackson has been under enormous pressure to step down . He says he has been working with community leaders to create a dialogue .