As Memorial Day draws tourists, law enforcement remains vigilant

As the trifecta of the MegaCon convention and two new themepark attractions lure an even larger average amount of visitors to the tourism-driven region this Memorial Day weekend, Orlando-area law enforcement agencies are tasked with keeping them safe, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said.

“This is a holiday weekend and this is a time when we have 100plus thousand people coming for a … convention here in the Orlando area,” he said. “We want to make sure that everyone remains safe.”

AAA predicted this week that about 2 million people will come to Orlando this weekend for the opening of Universal’s Volcano Bay Resort and Pandora: The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. That’s up from the 1.8 million visitors it predicted last year.

Living in an age where large amounts of people in a given area can bring worries of crime and even possible terror attacks, Demings said it should not keep people from getting out and enjoying festivities.

“What is a daily job now for law enforcement is to make sure that we’re working in the realm of preventing a terror attack,” he said. “That’s the world that we live in, but we don’t want to be paralyzed to the point where we don’t live our lives and enjoy our families and our communities.”

Orlando Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Wanda Miglio said officers are taking special measures to ensure safety. She said she couldn’t disclose specifics “for both officer safety and for the safety of our residents and visitors.”

The sheriff said the best thing the public can do to prevent terrorism or other crimes is to report suspicious activity to law enforcement. “We’re only as good at stopping an attack from occurring as the information that we receive,” Demings said. Miglio agreed. “It’s our job to respond to these calls — listen to your instincts and call police,” she said. “Then let us figure out if there is a threat or a crime taking place.”

Those reporting suspicious activity can call 911 or report tips anonymously to Crimeline at 407-423-8477.