Saturday, March 7, 1992

As part of the Disney Management Program, you shadow various departments around the Park. This Saturday, I was to spend five hours with Parks Security.

When I arrived for my shift in the late afternoon, as soon as they gave me my radio, there was a call, “Horse down on Main Street.” They explained that they walked quickly as we headed over because running over to the incident drew more attention.

When we arrived, other cast members started to create a circle around the horse, and we joined in. I learned that we face outward, facing the Guest, and that this is done to provide a safe space for what is happening and prevent large crowds from gathering. After a few attempts, she was back on her feet, and we moved her and the trolley backstage.

We found out that the horse was from Walt Disney World and had been trained to sit down if she got nervous. When she did this, she lost her balance, fell, and could not get back up.

Next, as we walked the Park, I was told about a Fox Unit, which was undercover security. They had just stopped someone for shoplifting at the Emporium, so we headed over. When we arrived, the girl, who was fourteen years old, was being questioned. Since we recovered the merchandise, she was released to her Cousin, and they were both escorted out of the Park.

After we walked her out, we received a call from Harbor House (cast member entrance) and headed over. It was Stevie Wonder, so we talked to him. It turned out he had been at Disneyland for Elizabeth Taylor’s 60th birthday last week and wanted to revisit the park.

Over the next three hours, we caught three jumpers who jumped into the park from the outer berm. Little did they know that the minute they touched the fence, alarms were set off, and we had them under surveillance. The boys were 14, 15, and 16 years old and looked so innocent sitting there, and as we told them they were going to be escorted out, we asked for their IDs; when the officer opened the 16-year-old’s wallet, we found cocaine. The Police were called, and he was arrested.

We responded to another Fox Unit call, where they had stopped two 11-year-old girls who had taken $180 in merchandise. Because of the amount, the Police were called, and the two were arrested. The Park’s Security comprises many retired and off-duty Police officers, and they have a fantastic relationship with Anaheim PD.

Towards the end of my shift, we received yet another call from the Fox Unit. They approached two males and took off running. We spotted them running on the Disneyland Railroad tracks and right into other officers’ hands. They did not know that the track they chose to make their getaway brought them right behind the security building. The two males were 17 years old, from Canada, and enlisted in the military. They were in tears, and since the merchandise was such a small amount, and they recovered it, they were escorted out of the Park as I wrapped up my shift with Security; what a night.