Lorraine (Lorri) Strem, investigator with the University’s Department of Public Safety, was honored at the 2015 Rochester Press-Radio Club Day of Champions Dinner on Monday, May 4. Strem, who recently joined Public Safety from the Rochester Police Department, received the Hometown Heroes award for her efforts to bring greater awareness to the issue of domestic violence and greater support to victims and families.
Strem is recognized for creating the “Purple Box Campaign” to collect new toys and clothing for families in the Alternatives for Battered Women’s (ABW) shelter for Christmas. Several police departments now participate in this campaign, including Rochester, Brighton, Gates, Irondequoit and Greece.
She also helped initiate the “Chief’s Challenge” as part of ABW’s “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event, where men walk in women’s high-heeled shoes to raise awareness for domestic violence. The “Captain’s Challenge” now includes many area police chiefs, politicians, and public figures.
In 2013, ABW presented her with its “Restore the Hope Award.”
Strem also initiated Rochester’s greater involvement in the New York State “Shine the Light on Domestic Violence/Turn the State Purple” campaign. This past October, Rochester’s Public Safety Building, City Hall and the Rundel Memorial Library went purple to highlight domestic violence awareness.
Strem joined Public Safety’s Investigative Section in Spring 2015 after a 31-year law enforcement career with the City of Rochester. She was the first female captain in the Rochester Police Department and most recently was the commanding officer of the RPD Special Investigation Section, Narcotics. She was also appointed to chair an RPD domestic violence committee, which developed a tracking system for domestic incident reports, increasing training for officers on stalking and strangulation crimes, and started the Domestic Abuse Response Team, which has been a life raft for many victims.
