Security

[BrerGnat]

It sounds to me like it is really a way to do it twice. I mean the turnstiles certainly slow people down too... no?

There are literally security guards everywhere at WDW. Everywhere. Many are in uniform, many are not. The majority are supposed to be "invisible". The bag checks and the turnstiles are just the first place people are watched. The observations continue throughout the parks. As you know, it IS possible for a person to evade the first layer of security.

[Main Street Jim]

Some of the MK Front Entrance Security guys hung out in the same break room we used when I was on the Steam Trains. You'd be surprised to hear some of the stuff that's been found and confiscated by these guys at Bag Check.

[magicofdisney]

There is nothing as comforting in the Security realm as redundency. I would not be surprised that the have a second team watching that area. I would also be surprised if the same set up isnt used for the monorail area. Realistically, any area outside the main gate, that people gather would make for a good place to look for possible problem behavior. I would also expect them to randomly rotate the time and location of these checks. If the checks are noticiable to the "bad guys" and if a pattern can be established to their checks, it can be deffeated or circumvented. So an element of randomness given another layer of security.

Can you tell I enjoy the field?

This reminds me of a situation my husband encounters frequently.

He travels weekly for work. One airport in particular has horrible security measures in place. Unfortunately, we're talking about TSA here. Nonetheless, within just a few weeks of travel he knew exactly when a set group of agents were taking breaks simply because of traffic flow to the terminals. He sent a letter to a manager who quickly asked for a private meeting with him. She was disconcerted by how much he could surmise from simply traveling the same route weekly. It seems to me the TSA could take lessons from Disney.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I think a lot of the time they are also looking for glass bottles too.
I've had some security guards joke with me about the contraband I'm smuggling in (Pepsi) and how they'll meet me later to share it with me.
I don't mind taking the extra couple of minutes to go through security. But then again I also have my bag zippers open and ready for them to look through. I think a lot of people don't even pay attention to what's going on ahead of them. Otherwise they'd be prepared and get through quicker too. Even if it seems like they aren't doing a thorough job, I'd still rather have them do it.

[Polynesian Dweller]

This is what it's really all about. The searches are only a way to slow folks down so the behavioral specialists can monitor the crowd for any suspicious activity.

Disney's security is actually very advanced, but like any other good security organization most of what goes on you can't see ... wouldn't be very effective if you could!

Agree, and this isn't an airport where they have few opportunities and limited time to identify a problem. At Disney they can have multiple layers and all the time you are in the park to identify you as a problem. It means they can and should use a different strategy than TSA.

[disneymom2000]

Thank you Jim&AngieMarriner and BrerGnat. This thread could have gone a totally different way if not for your explanations. I appreciate security even if most people don't understand and can only think invasion of privacy or rights to privacy. In the world we live in today, privacy is pretty much a moot point and I don't mind as long as I get to spend time at Disney.

[LudwigVonDrake]

I have never gone through security in the parks because I don't bring bags with me

[Daisy712]

A few years back when we were going into AK, I asked one of the security guys checking my purse why some of them hardly looked and others really searched. He said that by the time we were at the security check, we had already crossed two metal detectors that were in the ground. Whether this is true or not, I don't know.

[TinkerbellT421]

A few experiences I was able to witness made me feel better....two were in the trip we just came home from yesterday. And honestly, before these I used to wonder how they searched things so quickly.

One thing on this trip I had a zip up bag inside our backup which contained some personal hygiene products. Throughout our entrances, it was asked to be opened once. And I said open it at your own risk and he laughed. But we usually have the bag unzipped pockets open before we even get to the guy so I don't know if that shows a level to them that we know and we are regulars?

Last year we were entering animal kingdom and a fellow and a woman would assume to be his wife, they were shady looking characters to begin with....but the guy was in a wheelchair and we were behind them waiting to go through the bag check, I had noticed something attached to his waist but he covered it with his jacket. All of a sudden the guard looked over behind us and I followed his gaze to see a man in a Disney shirt and jeans behind us giving the bag check guy hand signals. That's when the security check asked the man what he had attached to his hip. The guy played stupid, he kept taping his hips as if you were checking your pockets sort of look and said "I don't have anything" and not to mention we looked and he physically touched the thing on his hip and covered it up better. The security guy asked three times before the man behind us in the Mickey shirt and jeans walked in front of us and two more guys that we didnt even notice but had already gone " through bag check" on the isle next to us came over also in civilian clothes and asked the guy to hand over the knife and to leave the park....first of all I was completely caught of guard and just remember thinking wow, that's how they do it! And then secondly when they took Thea knife, it wasn't a small fold up pocket knife either, it was. Six inch blade, I was so s ares thinking why would you even come to animal kingdom with a knife??????!!!!!

On this trip we were walking around downtown Disney with a friend of ours that works for disney and we were talking because we had stopped where the entrance to pleasure island is and they had a really cute mime type show going on so we sat to watch. There was a girl mime in gold, it was more like they were statues who would move once and a while, well a man was harassing the girl. Well the cast members guarding her were dressed in civilian clothes and were in the audience watching, she made a particular move and they came out of the audience and asked him to leave her alone. Never even spotted them. So we asked our friend about that and she told us how there are cast members who's jobs are to walk around the parks, watch in stores, watch during parades, etc they are everywhere just people watching. Now that's the job I want!!!

It made me feel better to know that there are people there. And like others said, she confirmed that most are ex military, ex police officers, ex psychiatrist, all that have some form of training to look for specific ticks and nervousness you show. Pretty cool.

[luvdiznee]

They all do it different. Some want to see everything, some look at whats on top in your bag. Just be sure if you are wearing a fanny pack, as I was a few years back, to take it off, as I was not told. Because you could almost get "touched uncomfortably".

[BrerGnat]

On our recent trip, a guy in front of me had, essentially, a cooler bag full of "lunch" for his family. Mixed in the bag was a HUGE steak knife (I'm not sure what they needed that for). The guy seemed surprised when the security guard removed it and told him that he'd have to check it in with security, and they would give it back to him on his way out of the park. The guy basically just told the guards to throw it away, as he didn't want the hassle of checking it in, etc. He had apparently forgotten it was in there, or it was not supposed to be in there, or whatever. So, they do find stuff that shouldn't be brought into the park, sometimes.

[MinnieMommie]

Th is a very thought provoking thread. Thanks to all for your comments and for sharing your expertise. My understanding has always been that Disney is expert at security measures and really that they need to be. In my estimation the bag checks are neither a hassle nor are they frivolous. I am always passed through the line very quickly and my bag is always wide open, unzipped and easily assessable for the guards to view. My sense has always been that if we are being asked to go through a bag check procedure there is a reason for it. Thanks for the insights into this process you have all shared.

[lizzi6692]

Just like to point out that not only is the bag check to slow down the crowd for the plain clothes guards, but the security guards that are checking the bags are doing more than that. They don't just talk to you because they like to chat, they're doing it to see how you react. If you act nervous they're going to do a more thorough job of checking your bags(the first TSA agent that checks your boarding pass and ID/passport does the same thing).

[mickeys_princess_mom]

I don't mind taking the extra couple of minutes to go through security. But then again I also have my bag zippers open and ready for them to look through. I think a lot of people don't even pay attention to what's going on ahead of them. Otherwise they'd be prepared and get through quicker too. Even if it seems like they aren't doing a thorough job, I'd still rather have them do it.

Exactly!

[MKFD43]

If you ever had to spend some time waiting at the maingate at the MK and are a little observant you can see the plain clothed security watching the security check point. They are hard to see at first but if you watch their manerisms you call tell who they are.I do think that would be a fun job to have, when i retire from the FD. I used to be a bouncer for a bar close to Wrigley Field and you learn to watch for certain behaviors, buldges and contact avoidances that indicate a potential problem individual.

[MrPeetrie]

This is one Soon to Be Former military Security Specilist (only 15 months left) who dreams EVERY DAY of doing security for Disney. My Co Workers are sick of me saying that I want to work for the parks when i retire. Crossing my fingers for the possition to be open when it comes time for me to put resumes in.

Good luck with your pursuits. And until your 15 months are up, be safe.

[Gator]

A friend of my wife's said her husband got into Disneyland with a gun in he bottom his backpack. He has permit to carry, but still...

And if they're checking backpacks and bags for the big items, ie bombs, why not hire a bomb-sniffing dog. Only one would be needed. It would smell anything suspicious with 50 feet.

[BrerGnat]

A friend of my wife's said her husband got into Disneyland with a gun in he bottom his backpack. He has permit to carry, but still...

And if they're checking backpacks and bags for the big items, ie bombs, why not hire a bomb-sniffing dog. Only one would be needed. It would smell anything suspicious with 50 feet.

Security at Disneyland uses dogs. I've seen many over the years.

[LoriSan]

And if they're checking backpacks and bags for the big items, ie bombs, why not hire a bomb-sniffing dog. Only one would be needed. It would smell anything suspicious with 50 feet.

A few weeks ago we were waiting for the boat in Epcot at the International Gateway. After the boat arrived and emptied out, a security guard with a dog went onto the boat, checked it out and left. I was pretty surprised, but I assumed that it was a detection animal. Pretty impressive.

[11290]

For all that have the "dream" of working Security at WDW and me not wanting to "wet on your charcoal", it would pay to talk with some CM's before committing yourself to the work.

Security at WDW is not all bag checking or strolling the parks, commonly seen by some as the "glamorous and fun" work.

Security can also be found in a guard shack at the hotels, standing at the CM bus stop behind MK watching CM's getting on / off the bus, manning the vehicle check / raising and lower the gates at the Security point between the bus stop and the tunnel entrance, on and on.

There are a lot of locations that Security mans that IMHO (I worked security at a hospital shortly after I retired from the construction industry and before I became a CM at MK), would be really dull, boring and lackluster locations.

Just my opinion obviously, but depending on where you would get assigned, it can be really long, dull days, especially in the FL summer heat. It's just not all being around the theme parks, making nice with the guests. Lot of misconceptions about CM jobs show up on forums when you are on the "outside looking in" inside of the reverse.

As I said, just my $.02 but everyone should review just what their goals are before making committing to something.

Personally for me, I always thought my ultimate retirement job would be to pilot the monorail (told my kids that if I had an Altzheimers moment I couldn't get lost). After actually seeing all the restrictions, rules and general oversight that goes along with that location, I'm glad that I hired in to Main St. Operations. Besides, the monorail costumes aren't the best looking out there. LOL