Security Bag Checks - what a waste

[Captain Schnemo]

I haven't been keeping up with the story, but from what was implied here, she just had it in her bag and didn't remember to take it out. If she really had the intent to shoot the place up, she was either incredibly dim or just nuts.

The whole "increased security" thing is largely a reaction to terrorists and trenchcoat nuts, neither of which would be bothered by the minimal checking they do at Disney, since it only takes a small amount of planning to defeat the system.

I'm neutral as to the system itself. I don't think it will do much, but if Disney wants to waste the money and it keeps soccer moms who believe every forwarded chain message about flashing their lights at oncoming cars or various ways in which potential evildoers can assault them in the parking lot, then I don't suppose there's anything wrong with it.

Also I pretty much agree with the literal interpretion of your sarcastic statement about airport security. Its current incarnation is largely pointless, and is a huge and costly overreaction to an unavoidable problem. We have limited resources and attacking the problem the way we're doing it now is an enormous waste.

That said, as annoying as it is, if it keeps the herds quiet and feeling unjustifiedly safe, I suppose it has some value.

My point is that it is impossible to keep the world safe, and these brute force methods are highly ineffective. Sometimes convincing people they are safe when they are not is dangerous (a good example is anti-phishing software that catching 99.5% of all phishes, but leaves the ignorant unprepared for what do about the 1 in 200 messages that will get through) and sometimes it's basically harmless, but wasteful.

To put things in perspective, Disney rides kill more people in the park than loons with guns, and it's not like the lunatic armies haven't had enough time to rally the troops.

[Dr. Ravenscroft]

Or..is your point that Disney doesn't do enough and that you would like to see them put in metal detectors etc??

Honestly I don't know what the heck I'm thinking of anymore. My opinion on this has changed not once, not twice, but thrice. Eventually I will be able to get my brain in working order today.

[Captain Schnemo]

You never know, of course, but this doesn't look like a terrorist to me.

Not saying she should have been allowed to bring a gun into the park, just trying to put this all in perspective.

[subsonic]

I think the differences between the airport security and Disney's is drastic. The airport uses xrays and metal detectors, Disney just looks in a bag. Again, things can be concealed in baggy pants. It's a false sense of security, a waste of money, and a waste of Guests time to enter the parks.

[saritajuanita]

While I certainly agree that it's a false sense of security (but so is airport security), I do give them credit for realizing that, at DLR, it makes much more sense to put the security checks on the east and west sides of the Esplanade, allowing people to flow between parks without security checks, than the old system where each park had a separate security check (which would always back up before the start of each parade, fireworks, Fantasmic, etc. as people tried to rush back and forth). At least now, even if you have a park hopper, you only have to be checked once (unless you want to eat at Downtown Disney).

I'm rather surprised, however, given how much Disney loves "plussing" things, that they haven't come up with an added-cost pre-check routine (like some airports have). A pre-check with background check seems like it would make a lot of sense, especially for AP holders (and they could probably squeeze an extra $40 out of people too!).

[yodiwan1]

You never know, of course, but this doesn't look like a terrorist to me.

What exactly do you think terrorists look like? I didn't evne look at teh link the was provided. A terrorist can be anyone unfortunetly. Any age, gender, color, anything. When I spent time in Israel I saw a woman strapped to explosives. She was stopped before any damage could eb done, but ti was terrifying. I honestly don't think there cna ever be too much security. When I was workign there during 9/11, I rememeber hearing about WDW being a target. It scared the poop out of me. We had to take out all of the powdered soap over night and put in the liquid type because of the anthrax scare. Disney does a great job with all of it's hidden cameras and hidden security features.

[Captain Schnemo]

If you're worried about the sort of "terrorists" who quietly submit and then apologize and cry about it, then I'm afraid there's not much else to discuss...but that's neither here nor there when it comes to the virtual pointlessness of the security checks themselves.

[jenhen27]

I don't think the security checks are pointless. While I realize that the security checks might be hit or miss sometimes (at least in our minds) we are repeat guests. Someone going for that once in a lifetime trip or a terrorist endeavor might not be familiar with the relaxed level of park security. When training a dog, you do not give them a treat every time. You are supposed to keep them interested by keeping them guessing. The same goes for Disney guests... keep everyone guessing about how thorough the check will be and you won't bring anything in on the off chance that this the the time they stick a flashlight in your bag.

Also, if you don't have any bags you can't simply stuff your cargo pants with explosives and leave the fuse haning out of the bottom. Even the "no bag" thruway is a checkpoint. A guard is always standing there and is presumably looking you and your clothes over. I assume if something seemed fishy you wouldn't get through. Although I've never seen a guard stop anybody.

As far as the checkpoints - my particular rant is not that they exist - it's that people are generally clueless and irritating. Hello, this is a security checkpoint, take off your fanny pack, put your purse on the table. You sir, please hand over the camera bag and for God's sake unzip and unbutton all compartments. Inevitably there are people in front of you who have six bags but they only put three on the table and the three they put on the table are all zipped up so it takes five times as long as it should for them to get through the checkpoint.

I think the solution is to have three checkpoints - 1. for people with no bags - walk through. 2. for people with bags and no brains, wait in this line with the other clueless folks. 3. for people who have a grip on life and are aware of their surroundings and capable of following instructions.

[TheCheshireStitch]

i totally know what you mean, subsonic. they especially don't check if you're all "disney-ed" out (like, pins, mouse ears, disney shirt, etc.).

the only thing i can think of is that they have them there so that if they do see someone that they feel looks suspicious, they have the right to investigate a bit without making it look bad.

of course, said suspicious person could still hide things in baggy clothing, etc.

however, if they didn't have bag checks of any kind, i bet you'd hear people complaining about how irresponsible it is of them not to check bags in a post 9/11 world. and some people might be more hesitant to visit (though i think that was more of a concern 6 years ago than it might be now). of course, these people aren't looking at the big picture and thinking about bag checks logically.

[yodiwan1]

the only thing i can think of is that they have them there so that if they do see someone that they feel looks suspicious,

someone that really is there to hurt someone most likely won't look suspicious. Terrorists always usually try to blend in with the crowd, so the would probably try to be very "disneyed-out". Thats what I would think at least.

[TheCheshireStitch]

i would think so, too, yodi...

but many known terrorists did not fit in...and many would find such "dishonorable" to be dressed in mickey gear.

of course, i'm not saying i agree with WDW on this-- i was just guessing why they might have such bag checks.

and i'm not just talking about terrorists in the common sense of the word, but about crazies that just shoot up random places. they sometimes do not look typical, and maybe disney would investigate that? trenchcoats and all.

and, just to be clear, i'm not saying everyone wearing trenchcoats does that sort of thing (i have one, myself)

[Captain Schnemo]

The point is that the "terrorist threat", which was the impetus for setting these things up in the first place, wouldn't be even slightly affected by these measures. They are nice for giving the masses a false sense of security (terrorist attacks are so rare that even Barney Fife could handle this job, of course) and, I suppose, for deterring the laziest terrorists anyone could ever conceive of. And to stop regular people from bringing weapons into the park, I guess, but 50 years of history shows us that those people aren't going to be much of a problem.

Seriously, what kind of "terrorist" would turn back when they saw an old man in a uniform rifling through Pooh backpacks or would do so little research on ending his own life that they wouldn't even know about said old man?

We know from experience that the threat everyone is so worried about comes from people who do at least a little bit of research, and that's all that would be necessary to defeat these measures.

[DisBeamer]

3. for people who have a grip on life and are aware of their surroundings and capable of following instructions.

As an aside ... I want this option for the finger scanner lines too.

[bluebayougirl]

Here is my gripe about the Disneyland security. For our sons birthday party at Goofy's Kitchen we bought a birthday cake. The resturaunt told us that they would hold it for us until 9:00 that evening, no biggie we thought. At 8:00, we left the park to get the cake. Upon returning to the plaza, security refused to let us through with the cake, they would not even let us walk strait across the plaza so that we could take it to the car (which was parked on the opposite side of the park). They suggested that we should put the cake in a loccer until the park closed, what! I found a different cast member and talked them into just having security walk us across the plaza so that we could get to the car. While waiting and arguing with the first security guard, we missed the fireworks, which I really wanted him to see for his birthday, and he fell asleep. Thanks for the magical birthday Disney security!!!
Ok, there is my rant - blue

[elizabethswann]

what i don't like is that they just peek inside the bag for a quick second instead of digging through to make sure that there isn't some sort of weapon hiding towards the bottom. i know it would hold up the lines and take forever but if they're doing security checks they should step up to it at least.