The funeral home where Muhammad Ali's body is being kept before his funeral on Friday is being protected by a team of local law enforcement officers ... TMZ Sports has learned.
Witnesses in Louisville, Kentucky spotted several squad cars at A.D. Porter & Sons Tuesday morning -- including a Jefferson County Sheriff SUV and two Louisville Metro PD cars.
A rep for the LMPD tells us their officers are working in an off-duty capacity.
We also spoke with the funeral home and a staffer told us the cops are there for two reasons -- crowd control and also to protect Muhammad's body.