Law enforcement at Disney

[Skyway]

I saw this buried in another post and thought it might be worth its own discussion.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/investigators/spending-on-police-at-disney-world-surges

 

[rob0519]

Is there a maximum number of hours a deputy and can work in his/her off hours? Just wondering because I've worked two jobs in the past and at some point exhaustion can set in and negatively affect performance at both.

 

[MissM]

I will say that lately when I've gone to the parks, there is obvious and visible presence of officers on property in large numbers. TTC will have multiple police cars/suvs parked on the road, often including K-9 officers. I've definitely noticed a strong visual presence lately; much more than earlier this year or previous years.

 

[Virtual Toad]

Strange, but it wasn't that long ago that Disney went out of its way *not* to have uniformed officers and/or patrol cars visible to guests anywhere on property. Also not so long ago that none of the pools had fences. Beaches weren't blockaded with boulders. And the resort hotels didn't even have guard gates.

How times have changed.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Strange, but it wasn't that long ago that Disney went out of its way *not* to have uniformed officers and/or patrol cars visible to guests anywhere on property. Also not so long ago that none of the pools had fences. Beaches weren't blockaded with boulders. And the resort hotels didn't even have guard gates.

How times have changed.

Not so long ago the world wasn't filled with crazy people bent on taking over the world. Today we don't really have a clear vision of where our threats are coming from, so we need a bigger protection force. Hopefully, sometime before I die we will cycle around again to a happier, less paranoid world.

 

[Bolt]

Strange, but it wasn't that long ago that Disney went out of its way *not* to have uniformed officers and/or patrol cars visible to guests anywhere on property. Also not so long ago that none of the pools had fences. Beaches weren't blockaded with boulders. And the resort hotels didn't even have guard gates.

How times have changed.

Well, Disney was never allowed to say 'we don't want cops here' - they always have jurisdiction.

 

[SorcererMC]

I saw this buried in another post and thought it might be worth its own discussion.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/investigators/spending-on-police-at-disney-world-surges

That was a good article and seems to answer a lot of the questions about what security measures there are at the theme parks and why (ie the nature of the threat environment has changed, and an increasingly aware public wants more reassurance on safety from both a tactical and strategic standpoint). It's good for guests to know what to expect in terms of waits to get into the park for example. And to not be unnecessarily alarmed at an increased police presence.

 

[Simba's Mom]

That's a very interesting article to me, under the circumstances. We were at WDW 10/16-10/21, the week before the loaded gun was found, and the first thing DH said, even before we checked into the BCV, was speculate on why there were so many police around. We speculated on whether some one famous was there, maybe it had to do with the huge conference going on next door (maybe the company was very "controversial"), basically just guessing why.

 

[TylerFromMI]

That's a very interesting article to me, under the circumstances. We were at WDW 10/16-10/21, the week before the loaded gun was found, and the first thing DH said, even before we checked into the BCV, was speculate on why there were so many police around. We speculated on whether some one famous was there, maybe it had to do with the huge conference going on next door (maybe the company was very "controversial"), basically just guessing why.

I was there over almost the exact same dates and noted to my friend how many police I saw around, especially compared to years prior. If anything, I felt safer knowing there was a visible increase in security. (Granted a separate conversation can be had on whether that means you are actually safer.)

 

[Liberty6]

Well, Disney was never allowed to say 'we don't want cops here' - they always have jurisdiction.

Not in Disney's case. The land is incorporated into a governmental city in which Disney controls. Any city can run their own police force or contract out to other jurisdications. Before the late 90's Disney security acted as the police agency for most incidents on property. It wasn't until after a fatal car chase by Disney security that it evolved into what we have today. But I believe the other poster was referring to Disney asking OCSO to use undercover vehicles or park them in backstage areas to create a experience in which a average guest doesn't think Disney need law enforcement. Right now the need for deterrence is greater then that. "Safety before show".

 

[Goofyernmost]

Well, not to frighten anyone unnecessarily, but, it is possible that they had received some threat. Even if they thought it was a hoax they would have to have presence there to keep a watchful eye. Or they might just be reacting to the wonderful domestic attitude brought on be people known encouraging vigilante type behavior from our less then highly endowed with common sense, populace. They don't always make the information public because almost all the time, it isn't a real threat, but, each one has to be treated as if it is.

 

[Matt_Black]

Not so long ago the world wasn't filled with crazy people bent on taking over the world.

Statistically, violent crime is down. While the FBI has reported slight increases in 2015, compared to 25 years ago, the U.S. is safer now.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

Interesting.... Just us? We're GLAD for the increased, LEGITIMATE POLICE presence...

But it brings up a question - with budgets like this, could Reedy Creek (really, WDW), actually create their own legitimate POLICE department? Not "Security" - actual full time POLICE Officers, recognized as such, by the State of FL?

 

[Goofyernmost]

Statistically, violent crime is down. While the FBI has reported slight increases in 2015, compared to 25 years ago, the U.S. is safer now.

Statistic do not influence terrorist. It is true that domestic violence is down, but, the past few months have fired up a lot of rhetoric from those that feel justified in taking the future into their own hands. It hasn't happened physically yet, and if I were a praying man, it would be on the top of my list that it never does materialize, and that all the words are just the high pressure bullying with no ability to back up the big scary words. At this moment it is safer from our own violence, but, it is not safer from outside sources. That is what the increased oversight is about. It is to prevent possibilities not to combat them when they happen.

 

[SorcererMC]

Well, not to frighten anyone unnecessarily, but, it is possible that they had received some threat. Even if they thought it was a hoax they would have to have presence there to keep a watchful eye. Or they might just be reacting to the wonderful domestic attitude brought on be people known encouraging vigilante type behavior from our less then highly endowed with common sense, populace. They don't always make the information public because almost all the time, it isn't a real threat, but, each one has to be treated as if it is.

Agreed on the law enforcement response - every threat has to be treated as legitimate whether it is or not. Last Dec 2015 there was a threat against the theme parks (and perhaps WDW in particular), and many of the theme parks added metal detectors if they didn't have them already. So I consider this a security overhaul in response to threats that are publicly known and in the wake of the June attack. There may not be more threats as of late, but Disney and the other theme parks have every incentive to ensure public safety to the extent possible.

ETA: I don't remember when Disney Springs opened but that could also partially explain the increase in spending (and I don't think it's mentioned in the article).

 

[Matt_Black]

Statistic do not influence terrorist. It is true that domestic violence is down, but, the past few months have fired up a lot of rhetoric from those that feel justified in taking the future into their own hands. It hasn't happened physically yet, and if I were a praying man, it would be on the top of my list that it never does materialize, and that all the words are just the high pressure bullying with no ability to back up the big scary words. At this moment it is safer from our own violence, but, it is not safer from outside sources. That is what the increased oversight is about. It is to prevent possibilities not to combat them when they happen.

Well, since you brought up terrorism, the facts are that you're more likely to die of a heart attack or a bee sting than a terrorist attack. So really, Disney should up the amount of beekeepers with smoke guns on property.

 

[RapunzelsWeave]

I'll try to spin it positively. Maybe now that word is getting out about having a real security presence in the parks, less people will feel the need to bring guns with them.

I'd rather have trained officers responding to a threat than Joe Vacationer, who just goes to the gun range to squeeze off a few rounds. And I say that as someone who regularly goes to the gun range and wouldn't even dream of bringing a gun to the parks.

 

[mm121]

Strange, but it wasn't that long ago that Disney went out of its way *not* to have uniformed officers and/or patrol cars visible to guests anywhere on property. Also not so long ago that none of the pools had fences. Beaches weren't blockaded with boulders. And the resort hotels didn't even have guard gates.

How times have changed.

they've probably had to come around the the fact that the world has changed and sometimes seeing is a necessary evil, as both a preventative and as an active reactive measure

of course no one want to feel like they are surrounded by cops on vacation since it can be a reminder of things.

but without them bad people might do bad things so its better to be safe

are there pics of the "beach boulders" anywhere? I saw the rope fences they were installing but havent seen the beach boulders

i miss the days of not fenced in pools, so lame that now the pools are all closed up at night, but its a necessary evil since some people cant be responsible to keep a look out for one another.

 

[dismeROL9]

I think its a good thing to have them not only at the metal detectors but around in the park, they are so large that if something were to happen it would be a long time for them to respond. I hope this helps keep people safe.

 

[mm121]

Interesting.... Just us? We're GLAD for the increased, LEGITIMATE POLICE presence...

But it brings up a question - with budgets like this, could Reedy Creek (really, WDW), actually create their own legitimate POLICE department? Not "Security" - actual full time POLICE Officers, recognized as such, by the State of FL?

i'm sure they could if they wanted to, but i doubt they'd want to for legal reasons.

if they did anything the could probably make a reedy creek pd, rather than a disney pd

but everyone would know that it was controlled by disney, and from a public relations standpoint its like;y better to contract it out

it also allows officers to have training in more "real life" scenarios, rather than "theme park resort land" scenarios, which is a good thing as you want officers that are familiar with anything the world can throw at them.

also contracting allows the size of the department to fluctuate more with the needs of the property during busy/slow seasons rather than having to keep a full force on staff of there own at all times