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Volunteer Crime Prevention Group Guardian Angels Increasing Patrols For Election Night

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Preparations are underway for possible unrest in New York City on election night.

Some businesses have already boarded up in Manhattan, including Macy's.

RELATED STORY: NYPD Prepares For Potential Election Day Protests Following Unrest During Summer Demonstrations

Now, the Guardians Angels say it's increasing patrols to ensure public safety.

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 03: Curtis Sliwa, the founder and CEO of the Guardian Angels, walks with other Guardian Angels on a safety patrol in lower Manhattan following nights of looting in the area after the death of George Floyd on June 03, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

About 200 members of the volunteer crime prevention group will be on city streets, hoping to avoid vandalism and looting.

"We're not gonna tolerate them coming for the property, the product or the people. If it means we've gotta put our bodies between them and the looters and the rioters, so be it. But someone's gotta do it, and we don't wanna see this happen all over again, as happened in the summer," said Curtis Sliwa, president and founder of the Guardian Angels.

The NYPD has advised Midtown businesses to take extra security measures and some buildings have hired armed guards.

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