Disneyland, Disney World Ramp up Security Following Orlando Shooting

Anaheim, CA—Expect a larger security presence at Disneyland today, following the recent shootings in Orlando, Florida.

Disneyland visitors, as well as visitors to Disney World, will see a large increase in visible security measures including uniformed officers, patrol dogs and random searches upon park entry.

The popular theme park is taking added precautions according to an emailed statement from Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Whaler.

Omar Mateen--the gunman responsible for killing 49 people and himself in Orlando, Florida--possibly scouted Disney World as a potential target on a recent trip he took with his wife, according to recent reports from CNN and People.com. 

On Monday, FBI Director James Comey stated that investigators are working to confirm whether Mateen had scouted Disney World and other locations before the deadly shooting attack at Pulse nightclub early Sunday morning.

Visitors to Disneyland and Disney World can expect in-depth bag searches, as well as random metal detector scans.

“Unfortunately we've all been living in a world of uncertainty, and during this time we have increased our security measures across our properties, adding such visible safeguards as magnetometers, additional canine units, and law enforcement officers on site, as well as less visible systems that employ state-of-the-art security technologies," Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said.

Disney officials stated that they would add extra security at all of the Disney theme parks as a precautionary measure.

It is unclear when security at Disneyland will return to normal levels. Patch will continue to update this story as more information is released.

Photo: Disneyland security check by Renee Schiavone