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Philadelphia Police Increasing Officers On Street Ahead Of Saturday Protest At Art Museum Expected To Draw Thousands

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia city leaders are getting ready for what is expected to be a massive Justice for George Floyd protest Saturday afternoon at the Art Museum. The National Guard and other law enforcement agencies are continuing to assist Philadelphia police.

Looting teams have helped to drastically cut down the number of lootings throughout the city.

FULL COVERAGE OF GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS

"Since Saturday, the number of lootings or more precisely, commercial burglaries, has trended as follows: On Saturday, there were 29; Sunday, 247; Monday, 411; Tuesday, 181; Wednesday, 89; and Thursday, 47," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.

Saturday's planned protest at the Art Museum is expected to draw thousands, and while recent demonstrations have been peaceful, Outlaw is concerned about the recent theft of canisters containing dangerous materials.

"We are concerned. This isn't a typical type of theft that you would see. We know, just from Saturday and Sunday, that there's explosives being used to access either ATMs or fires being set off around the city of various buildings and vehicles, is most certainly of concern," Outlaw said.

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Police will continue to ramp up the number of officers on the streets ahead of Saturday's protest in hopes of overseeing a peaceful demonstration.

"When you compare tomorrow to what we originally started off with last Saturday -- we'll have to give you the exact numbers -- we have far more people working," Outlaw said.

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