Spector & Associates named finalist for SABRE Award
NEW YORK, N.Y. — April 1, 2011 — Spector & Associates, a nationally recognized corporate communications firm based in New York, announced today that it had been selected as a finalist for The Holmes Report’s SABRE Awards in the Technology: Hardware category for its work on ITT Corporation’s Cell Hound®. This year’s SABRE finalists were selected from nearly 2,000 entries submitted.
When Cell Phones Became the Most Lethal Weapons in Prisons — developed and executed by Spector on behalf of ITT — educated prison officials, decision-makers and the general public about the dangers posed by contraband cell phones in prisons across the nation. The initiative has raised the profile of the issue, successfully elevating the debate to the public policy arena within the Beltway and in state capitals across the nation.
“The Spector team has been very successful in drawing public attention to this problem; they effectively put it on the radar, lifting it from the pages of technical journals to the front pages of national newspapers,” said Terry Bittner, Director of Security Products at ITT Corporation. “The team at Spector really understood the issue, and it showed through their ability to educate legislators, the media and the general public.”
Cell phones smuggled into prisons across the country have been used to intimidate witnesses, organize drug deals, and as recently as December, arrange a series of prison protests in Georgia state prisons. In response to this growing threat, ITT Corporation developed Cell Hound to “sniff out” a cell phone’s RF signature and pinpoint the device’s location.
“This nomination acknowledges the hard work of our team to raise the profile of this very serious issue,” said Shelley Spector, President of Spector & Associates. “By drawing more attention to this escalating public safety concern we hope that cell phones — the most lethal weapons in prisons today — will be removed once and for all.”
Since 2000 the SABRE Awards — the world's largest awards competition for the public relations industry — have highlighted the most creative and effective communications campaigns. This is Spector & Associates’ 14th nomination.
About Spector & Associates
A certified woman-owned business celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2011, Spector & Associates is known for pioneering the "integrated public relations" strategy for business-to-business companies. Since 1991, Spector has earned nearly 40 awards in public relations, integrated branding programs, corporate social responsibility, and web development.