Disneyland follows security protocols in Toontown family brawl captured on viral video, security experts say – Orange County Register

Security experts say Disneyland has followed the security protocols established during a family riot that erupted in the Toontown area of ​​Anaheim Amusement Park over the weekend of July 4th.

Disney's security response to Toontown's fight was "very fast," said Michael Downing of Oak View Group, a Los Angeles-based company that provides security for major sports and entertainment venues.

"It seemed like they had followed all their emergency procedures and their standard operating procedures," said Downing, retired deputy chief having worked for the Los Angeles Police Department for 35 years. years. "They did exactly what they were supposed to do."

A four-minute viral video of the Toontown fight posted on YouTube has been viewed more than 2 million times.

Ron Martinelli, a retired police officer and security specialist, is surprised that the fight lasts between three and four minutes.

"I was quite surprised to see that the situation lasted as long as it did not have any response from security," said Martinelli, an expert police and police officer. safety practices at Martinelli & Associates in Texas. However, he also stated that Disneyland had a reputation for maintaining a safe environment in the park.

"Disneyland is doing a very good job," he said. "This is probably one of the largest security and liability centers in the United States.

"Imagine Disneyland as a city and imagine the safety of Disneyland as a police service," he added. "Just like any police department, where you have the most crimes or the most incidents, you put the most police. And that's where you have the most mitigation strategies – (closed circuit television), people in uniform. Because they act as a deterrent. "

The video shows the beginning and end of the battle several times, shocked by visitors to Disneyland. About a minute after the start of the video, a spectator yells, "Call security!" A moment later, a Disneyland concierge steps in to try to break the fight without success. You can see other Disneyland employees making calls on their smartphones.

Downing said that the non-Disneylandic security employees had two essential jobs during a fight involving visitors: to serve as good witnesses and to ensure that other guests are protected.

About 90 seconds into the video, a spectator asks aloud, "Where is Disney security?"

Disneyland visitors have intervened several times to try to stop the fight in vain. As a retired police officer, Martinelli would not have participated in the fight at Toontown without knowing anything about the people involved.

"It only takes a millisecond to be seriously injured or even killed," said Martinelli, a former San Jose Police Department officer with 25 years of experience.

Disneyland officials said that a security guard had responded to the fight in the city of Toontown about a minute after receiving the report and had immediately called for a backup. The first on-site Disneyland security officer secured the perimeter, maintained the security of visitors to the theme park and called the Anaheim police for help, officials said the theme park.

Two and a half minutes after the start of the fight, the first Disneyland security agent is visible on the video.

"I would expect the first person to arrive to do exactly what she did," Downing said. "She built a security perimeter to protect other guests, assessed the situation and called for assistance."

The first security officer on the scene can be seen talking on the radio and withdrawing from the fight as half a dozen passers-by intervene in the fight.

"She evaluated what was going on and she made the decision not to commit," Downing said. "She would probably have been beaten if she was engaged."

Once the rescue arrived, the Disneyland security services intervened to defuse the situation, said officials of the theme park.

A little more than three minutes after the start of the video, one can see a group of uniformed and plainclothes security agents from Disneyland arriving at the scene of the fight. Disneyland security officers spoke to the people involved in the family riot and watched them closely.

"Once the reinforcements arrived, they intervened," said Downing. "They used verbal commands. They had to physically restrain some people. Then a few minutes after the arrival of Anaheim PD. "

Disneyland officials say the theme park takes a holistic approach to safety and has been working closely with the Anaheim police since the fight.

"Any kind of violence is inexcusable and will not be tolerated," Disneyland officials said in a statement. "The security of Disneyland Resort responded appropriately within minutes and immediately called the Anaheim Police Department for help. The people involved were removed from the premises and entrusted to Anaheim P.D. "