Disneyland security

[never2muchdisney]

Last year at Disneyland, while we were waiting to have our backpacks checked at the entrance, a woman in front of us was asked to step aside. She had a styrofoam meal container in her bag. The security guard asked her to open it. She had her left-over meal from an off property restaurant in it. The secrurity guard told her she would have to throw it out, or take it to the picnic area and finish it. She was not a happy woman. She refused to throw it out, and explained to him that she was not hungry, and that she would not sit somewhere and eat it at that moment. After a long & loud conversation, she stepped aside, opened the container, and started eating.

Two weeks later, friends of ours came back from Disneyland. They asked the guard what exactly they were looking for. She replied, “We are looking for anything that may be harmful to anyone of our guests. Mostly things such as glass containers that can break and cut someone. Also, anything that is out of the norm, such as unsafe objects. And things that are brought in that are not allowed in the parks such as alcoholic beverages.” When my friend asked about styrofoam plates of food, the guard replied, “We like you to enjoy our large variety of food choices. It makes for part of the Disney experience.”

Anyone else have a good security story to share?

 

[HaleyB]

2002
This was before the new screenings in front of the gates. We were there in a big group. Two smokers were with us. We were hanging out near the Matahorn smoking area sort of under the monorail tracks on the path that once you pass the Mathorn then leads to Tomorrowland.
In the bushes we find/see a back pack just sitting there. We go over to a girl selling popcorn or something, at one of those carts, and point it out to her. She got on her radio right away and before we could look up the area was swarmed with security, plain clothes, uniformed rent a cops, and suits! One of the suits comes up to us and thanks us for alerting them. We have to leave the area because they have bomb sniffing dogs on the way. The Monorail and train are shut down right away too.

Anyhow, we were given handfulls of fast passes for Indiana Jones. So cool for us. It turned out just to be an old backpack with junk in it. I knew about all the plain clothes building inspectors (guys with clip boards always looking up, tons of them swarm the parks after every minor earth quake but there are always some around) in the parks but I had no idea how much security there was.

 

[doombuggy]

Great job, HaleyB! You're made of the right stuff!

The security at Disney is great. I always feel safe there. This is coming from a person who lived near a nuclear power plant back in PA (it was Limerick, not TMI, but that one's not too far away either). After 9/11/01, we always looked up whenever we hear a plane of any kind in the sky. By the time I moved here in the summer of 2004, I was finally able to kick that "looking up" habit. Since I spend a bit of time at Disney, I do feel safe there. jm2c

 

[jlmarr]

I was walking near Pirates right around a late night closing when I heard what sounded like a splash, looked over to the river and saw a couple of people swimming towards Tom Sawyer's Island. I looked around to see if anyone else saw it - nobody did - and then looked for someone in Security. There happened to be a Security guy within sight, so I advised him and he got on the radio. As with the incident mentioned above, the place immediately was swarming with security, including suits running for the rafts. The two guys had a welcoming party waiting for them on the island and I imagine spent the night a guest of the city of Anaheim.

 

[iceskatejen]

I can't believe someone would willingly jump into that water. I once made the mistake of eating during Fantasmic. The wind was blowing just enough to send spray from the mist screens onto me and when I got home my dinner and I parted company. That water is full of trash (because some people can't tell the difference between water and a trash can I guess) and duck droppings.

 

[Spook50]

When I was waiting in line to take a picture of Minnie in summer of '03, one of the guys getting a picture taken with her grabbed her rear, which of course made her jump and smack his hand away. Her attendant must've seen because before I realized he had talked to anyone (radio or in person) two big bouncer-looking guys in plain clothes who I thought were just other guests came and "escorted" him out of the park. It was pretty funny to me, but I still got a great picture of Minnie out of it!

 

[RADOPT]

Two weeks later, friends of ours came back from Disneyland. They asked the guard what exactly they were looking for.

Personally, I think the parks use it as an excuse to see if you brought enough money