For those still here, thanks for your patience and understanding.

With the idea of magnetometers possibly being installed at the front entrances of all of the Walt Disney Parks in the near future, I decided it was high time I did a little research on the subject of passenger scanning, and not surprisingly, found that airports provided a great field from which to pull technology for the use at theme park entrance gates. Of course, we have a specific realm for which to work with, as we do not have the same space to work with as an airport, or the same traffic patterns for that matter (as the image below shows):

Since WDW management is toying with the idea already, let’s start with the most traditional passenger (guest) scanning device: the magnetometer.

Magnetometers, or metal detectors, create a magnetic field between a set of panels (in a passenger screening system). These are like the ones you’ve probably been through at airports and courthouses, and chances are they’ve beeped at least once when you went through for something small like a key ring. Once a person walks through these arches, if there is any metal on their body the magnetic field will be disrupted which will trigger an alarm (the beep). Usually, this signifies that the person who “set off” the magnetometer has on himself or herself has a significant amount of metal, which could be a weapon such as a firearm or knife. Of course, the sensitivity of the magnetometer can be adjusted to ignore smaller amounts of metal.

The Garrett PD 6500i Walk-Through Metal Detector utilizes multiple magnetic fields to create 33 “zones” from which metal can be detected. This allows security officials to know where the potential weapon is on the person, before an actual search on the person is done.

Back to the Magic Kingdom case study we mentioned last week, I don’t really see knives or firearms as a significant threat as compared to other symbolic terrorist activity that could take place. Sure, it would prevent anyone from bringing weapons into the parks, but I think that the magnetometers would lead to many, many more non-armed tourists being stopped and searched than would-be criminals with weapons...and that’s still assuming that those potential criminals weren’t carrying ceramic or hard-plastic weapons (which can’t be picked up by magnetometers).

That isn’t to say that such a guest scanning approach isn’t a valid one, however. In my mind, a more probable threat to the Magic Kingdom would be from something that could do more damage to a physical structure, like some sort of explosive device. The idea, again, isn’t to injure the greatest number of people, but rather strike fear by physically damaging the symbolic target.

If the magnetometers are installed at the Magic Kingdom front entrance gates, they would do nothing for someone who is trying to bring explosives into the park. Luckily, the current system of bag checks covers the possible location of large quantities carried in a backpack or other type of bag. But what about if something was carried on a person themselves?

Thanks to advances in airport passenger screening technology, that aspect can be covered as well. A company called Syagen, in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration and Sandia National Laboratory, has created a passenger scanning device which can detect chemical and explosive agents on a person. The idea is that no matter how many times a person cleans their clothes or washed their body, there will always be trace amounts of the chemical and explosive agents they were working with or possibly still have on themselves.

The current working prototype is called the QitTof™ mass analyzer detector, and work is currently being done to reduce the size and cost of the machine for installation in airports around the country. It works by having a person stand inside the unit (while facing towards the circles), as jets of air are used to collect possible microscopic amounts of chemical residue on the person and clothing. That air sample is then analyzed against known chemical and explosive compound “fingerprints” for a match. If there is a need to do so, a picture of the person can be taken while inside the device for a record of who entered the secure area.

The Syagen QitTof™ mass analyzer detector uses blasts of air to collect chemical samples from a person, and then instantaneously compares that air sample with chemical “fingerprints” for known explosive and chemical weapon compounds. While still a behemoth in size and cost, this model is a working prototype which will most likely become much smaller and compact in the future.

Now I’m not suggesting that Walt Disney World purchase such massive machines for use at their park gates, folks. What I am suggesting is that metal may not be the main item to be looking for on those entering the parks. Such a unit as the one above would never work at the entrance gates. It’s much too large and expensive for use in that setting, and much too invasive for most people, especially children. Just the sight of the thing would most likely send children crying and screaming before they even got near the actual park entrance.

What I am suggesting, however, is that we start to think in these kinds of ways instead of the traditional airport security type of way. I personally think that this air blast technology has a very promising future.

Imagine if it were themed somehow. Let me give you an image of what I am talking about, okay?

You are with your family as you just disembarked the Express Monorail from the Transportation and Ticket Center, where your car is parked nearby. You approach the entrance area and you notice the familiar security stations for bag checks.

However, you also notice that the security stations have changed. There are conveyor belts for which to put your bags, and some sort of arch to walk through. This isn’t your ordinary security checkpoint, however. You notice that the conveyor belt sends your bags to security personnel at the other end of the archway, where they wait for you to look through them quickly. The entire arch, however, is made to look like the walls of Cinderella Castle, and plainly visible behind the archway is a life-sized fiberglass Genie from Aladdin, in tourist clothing nonetheless, holding a personal battery powered fan pointed toward you (which is really spinning), all the while your hearing clever comedic quips from Robin Williams about the heat, how much he paid for the fan and how he can’t wait to get into the park.

You take the bags you brought, place them on the conveyor belt, and push your stroller and you through the archway as a breeze of air surrounds you while walking through. As you exit, your bags and security are waiting for you on your right hand side. They politely ask you to open the pockets, and they take a quick look through the pockets and thank you as you are sent on your way to the entrance gates.

All in all, the whole process was less than one minute, and non-invasive. The air column in the archway gathered enough chemical samples from your clothes and stroller to determine that you did not have any chemical or biological weapons on you. Since there were advances in technology since the above prototype, this model disguised like a part of Cinderella’s Castle didn’t need you to stop in it, and was made wide enough to support strollers and wheelchairs. The conveyor belt allowed security to have your bag waiting for a supervised inspection once you were through.

What I am saying is that, just because security needs to be lifted to a higher standard, that doesn’t mean that Walt Disney World needs to copy the airports. In a sense, the airports are lucky, in that they do not have a theme or story to worry about. In contrast, every action that is taken in the name of security at Walt Disney World not only takes away from privacy and expediency, but it also takes away from the Magic of the place and the experience.

Why not go above and beyond what is required and do it the Disney way? Theme the security checkpoints somehow, but take into account the possible threats that need to be addressed. This approach not only increases security, but reduces tension of the procedures, all the while reducing the effects of the theming of the area being chipped away by reality.

In regards to increasing security at the Walt Disney Worlds parks, I honestly don’t see a problem, so long as invasions of privacy, expediency, and theming can be minimized in the process. To be sure, you have to sacrifice some or all of them to increase security; you can’t have your cake and eat it too in this respect.

However, I do feel that the installation of magnetometers alone may be ignoring a much bigger security risk to the area. As mentioned before, there may be policies in the works or already in place which take care of the aforementioned security concerns, which would be a welcome addition to the overall security policy of Walt Disney World.

I would suggest that in all of these increased security policies, that WDW management not think of the areas they are protecting as airports. Just because a metal detector is deemed necessary based on a threat analysis, doesn’t mean that it has to look like one. The theming and Magic of an area, if done right, can be preserved and possibly even slightly enhanced if extended to the security locations at the entrances of the parks. As long as the actual function of the security procedures is not compromised, why not have Genie help out with keeping people smiling during an extra wait?

Disney, more than anyone else, could pull this off. They have already started the theming revolution in virtually every retail location in America...why not extend to security and start another theming revolution?

Thanks for stopping on by, and I’ll see you next week!