Walt Disney World bans sex offenders from theme parks

Leah Zanolla | Posted: Apr 28, 2013 | Updated: Oct 19, 2014 - 9:25:27 AM

According to wftv.com, Walt Disney World has been cracking down on keeping sex offenders out of their parks. The site's investigative reporter spent six months reviewing trespass reports from the Orange County Sheriff's Office and found that over 75 warnings had been issued to registered sex offenders since August 2012. The reporter was able to interview 20 of these individuals who were asked to leave the Disney parks, sometimes for good. One of the sex offenders named Mike agreed for his interview to be released as long as his identity was kept a secret. He said he was told by Disney, "We don't want you at our park." He and his wife had season tickets and when he tried to obtain his pass, he was pulled aside and issued a trespass warning from the Sheriff's Office stating he was "never allowed on any Disney property again."

The reports list the people as "registered sex offender," "on the sexual offender list," or state the problem as "conduct not welcome" or "behaviors not meeting Walt Disney's standards." Because Disney is a private company, they are allowed to check guests' names and run them through the sex offender databases, removing those whose names show up. A statement from Disney read, "While we do not share specific details of our security procedures, we are constantly strengthening our efforts so we can promote a safe environment for all our guests."