Guest Blogger: George Anderson, Director, World Trade Center Security, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

The IACP has recently created a new section, the Private Sector Liaison Section (PSLS). This section is the successor to the Private Sector Liaison Committee, whose mission was to collect and disseminate information about public private partnerships (P3s) to the membership of the IACP. Over the years, committee members and IACP leadership realized that transitioning the committee to a section would provide additional opportunities for chiefs, IACP members of other ranks, and IACP associate members in the private sector, to join and participate in the conversations and projects involving P3s and other ways the private sector can collaborate with and assist law enforcement.

Reasons to consider joining the PSLS are many:

• Are you a chief or law enforcement leader nearing a career transition or retirement from active law enforcement?
• Do you have an interest in participating in the selection process for the Michael Shanahan Award for Excellence in Public-Private Cooperation?
• Are you an IACP Associate Member in the private sector involved in providing equipment, technology, or consultative services to law enforcement?
• Are you in the private sector and looking for a way to be engaged actively in discussions that pertain to cutting edge issues in law enforcement?
• Are you interested in working on projects concerning public-private partnerships that bring value to law enforcement agencies and executives?

These reasons and more are all ways joining the Private Sector Liaison Section can enhance the value of your membership in the IACP.

If you will be attending the IACP Annual Conference in Chicago, we invite you to attend the PSLS Annual Meeting, which will be held on Saturday, October 26, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., in McCormick Place West, Room W175C. To facilitate future communication with members interested in joining the section, we will have a scanner in the meeting room to scan your ID badge so that when the 2020 IACP membership application is available, we can ensure we reach out to all interested parties so they can officially join the section. Membership in the PSLS is open to all active and associate members of the IACP in good standing.

We hope IACP members, with an interest in how law enforcement and the private sector can work together to improve policing and the service we deliver to our communities, will consider joining the Private Sector Liaison Section.