The Problem:

Attendance dropped, money was lost and people began to feel that traveling would be unsafe. Additionally, people felt that large destinations like the Disney Theme Parks and Resorts could become targets for terrorism. Disney felt that they had to make their parks and resorts safer than competing parks and resorts.

Disney always wanted to increase security at its gates to decrease guns, knives and alcohol entering its parks, but never knew how to.

Concepts to improve the problem:

1. Increase security.
2. Hire more security guards.
3. Increase surveillance.
4. Coordinate Disney security with governmental agencies.
5. Develop emergency evacuation plans.
6. Inspect parks overnight/after hours for hidden individuals, suspicious articles, baggage, unusual vehicles, etc.
7. Implement stricter rules to decrease potential incidents amongst guests.
8. Increase the sense of security in the theme parks and at the hotels.
9. Have employees check for photo I.D.'s at appropriate places.

Implementations of Concepts:

1. Increase security.
   1. One way to get more security guards to work at the Disney parks would be to advertise in the local newspapers, on the Internet, in magazines, national newspapers and on TV.
   2. Give incentives to Cast Members to get friends to work for Disney.
   3. Install more security cameras.
   4. Install alarms to protect restricted areas.
   5. Monitor air space above the park (through the FAA).
   6. Additional police could drive around the properties in marked vehicles.
2. Security Guards should remove sharp objects, weapons, alcoholic beverages and glass from guest carry-in bags (handbags, camera bags, hip pouches, etc.) before entering the parks.
3. Coordinate Disney security with governmental agencies by creating job titles and departments with the object to create a joint crisis management team to review, prepare for and respond to emergencies.
4. Hire additional guards to drive around Disney's properties. Track vehicles and inspect parks overnight/after hours for hidden individuals, suspicious articles, baggage, unusual vehicles, etc. If required, remove the threats.
5. Increase the sense of security. By allowing guests to see more uniformed guards, by increasing guard interaction, by having more Disney police vehicles, by asking for I.D.s at check-in areas and by showing guests that Disney is trying to create a safer environment, guests will feel more comfortable going to Disney.
6. Have employees check for photo I.D.'s at appropriate places.

Results:

1. By increasing security, Disney's parks and resorts are now safer and fewer incidents occur.
2. Attendance has increased and, according to Rene Callahan of Walt Disney World corporate affairs, people now feel safer and more secure at Disney's parks and resorts.
3. County police drive on the roads entering Disney properties.
4. At Disney resort hotels, they now ask for photo I.D.'s before they let you enter.
5. Disney has increased surveillance by installing more cameras on their properties.
6. Security notes vehicles that are parked in theme park parking areas overnight and remove those that fit profiles.
7. Guns, knives, mace and alcohol have been removed from the parks.
8. Gang violence, which became a major problem at the Disneyland Resort in California, has decreased.
9. At the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, according to one source, staff found 11 guns in trash cans outside Epcot during the first week after inspections of carry-in bags started, while the Disney-MGM Studios reported 2.
10. Currently, inspections turn up knives, alcohol, sharp instruments, mace and pepper spray often daily.
11. Incidents amongst guests have decreased dramatically.

Conclusions:

Universal Studios (Disney's direct competition) has not increased security in the way Disney has. They did not institute searches or other 'obvious' security measures. As a result, vacationers now consider Disney to be safer than Universal's properties.

As a result of the new security measures, Disney's parks and resorts have become safer places to be and people are coming back to the parks and having enjoyable experiences. During this past April holiday season, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom park became full to capacity for 3 days in a row.