And the winner of the “Security Oscar” is….

I love Meryl Streep but her Oscar win Sunday night felt a little bit “been there, done that” to me. Not matter how deserved, it was her third, so where was the thrill?

So thank goodness for Don Moore, president of Moore Protection, a security company based in Redondo Beach, Calif., who instituted the Morpheus Award—which I like to call the “Security Oscar.” At Academy Awards time each year, Moore Protection presents the “Morphie” to a film “that best depicts the realistic use of modern security technology in mainstream media”—and it's always a fun surprise to see which movie is chosen.

This year, the 2012 Morpheus Award went to “Tower Heist,” starring Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, and Alan Alda. In a Feb. 27 news release from Moore Protection sent out, the 2011 movie is described as “a comedy-action film about a team of disgruntled working-class employees plotting to reclaim money that has been stolen from them by a greedy Wall Street mogul. In order to accomplish this, their team must, in addition to many other obstacles, circumvent the high tech surveillance system in place at the mogul's home located in the penthouse of a high-rise Manhattan apartment building.”

John Akouris, VP of Moore Protection and the company's resident film buff explained in the release what made director Brett Ratner's treatment of security stand out. “Another director might have chosen to deal with defeating the security measures in a more fantastic, but less believable, way. Mr. Ratner, in keeping with his characters' 'blue collar' ethic, used a more practical approach, and it worked to advance the story line more realistically,” Akouris said.

In Greek mythology, Morpheus was the name of the god of dreams and visions. If movies had been invented then, likely he would have been in charge of those too.

Moore has previously told me that his company for years just has usually announced the award internally and to clients. But he began announcing it publicly last year to highlight the positive uses of security technology in Hollywood, especially during awards season.

Also, he has said, “the Morpheus Award is an excuse to remind customers to use their alarm systems.”

"It never fails that someone experiences a burglary during one of the many awards shows,” he said. “Thieves know when they see limousines all over these affluent hillside communities of L.A. that the chances of finding an empty home full of valuable goodies increase exponentially. It's a target-rich environment for burglars all year long, but the odds of a homeowner distracted by thoughts of red carpets and neglecting to arm their security system before leaving for an event make their illegal activities a lot easier.”

Moore also warned homeowners to take responsibility for their alarms. “Show business people often have assistants and household staff to which they have delegated the task of turning on their alarm system, and this is a dangerous practice. If a crime is committed while the system is disarmed it is the owner, not the assistant, which is put at risk. I encourage all my clients to personally arm and disarm their systems daily and test them at least monthly.”

Can't wait to see the movie!