According to ClickOrlando.com, Walt Disney World is hiring more off-duty police officers to patrol the property. In fact, records show that the Reedy Creek Improvement District has budgeted $5.6 million for off-duty law enforcement in the fiscal year that began this month. Last year that budget was only $1.5 million. Disney does not disclose how many officers they employ on a daily basis.
In addition to the off-duty budget, which hires police officers to patrol the property in their spare time, Reedy Creek also has an $8.1 million contract with the Orange County Sherrif’s Department to ensure that officers are available at the resort when needed. As ClickOrlando notes, that total figure for law enforcement means Reedy Creek will pay about as much as the relatively close city of Winter Park spends on their police department.
This news comes on the heels of a week that saw two park guests arrested for attempting to carry handguns into Walt Disney World theme parks. Late last year, Disney and other parks in Orlando and beyond added additional security including metal detectors following acts of terror at home and abroad.