ASIS International (ASIS) will honor military and law enforcement professionals during the ASIS International 58^th Annual Seminar and Exhibits (ASIS 2012) with Military/Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on Wednesday, Sept. 12. ASIS 2012 will take place in Philadelphia, September 10-13, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, according to a press release.

More than 20,000 security, business and government professionals from 90 countries are expected to attend ASIS 2012 next month. The event’s comprehensive education program will offer more than 200 sessions and boast an exhibit floor featuring more than 700 companies across more than 230,000 net square feet, the press release says.

Active law enforcement or military professionals can register online or onsite (valid government IDs must be presented at on-site registration) and will be granted free admission to all of the day’s educational programs (including a special session: “Military and Law Enforcement Transitions: Strategies for Success”) exhibits and the keynote address by Robert Gates, U.S. Secretary of Defense from 2006-2011. In addition, the 2012 Matthew Simeone ASIS Award for Public Private Partnership Excellence will be presented to ASIS Chapter #063-Orlando and the Orange County (Florida) Sheriff's Office.

The Orlando-based organizations worked diligently over many years to enhance the communication between law enforcement and the private sector and to share information, crime trends, strategy and training techniques. The groups established an environment of mutual trust that allowed them to collaborate on successful initiatives such as the development of specialized units known as TOPS (Tourist Oriented Police Services) to protect, educate, and serve Orlando's large tourist population, which was estimated in 2010 to be 52,000,000.

"Public Private Partnerships are vital to safeguarding our communities and fighting crime and terrorism,” said Brian H. Reich, CPP, chair, ASIS Law Enforcement Liaison Council. “The concept of P3s is critical not only to those of us here in the USA, but throughout the world,” he added.