September 17, 2021
Jim Evancho
According to the Alabama Department of Health website over 300, 000 people over the age of 12 will be sexually assaulted each year. Calhoun County Sheriff, Matthew Wade, has partnered with a group that teaches people how to defend themselves from a sexual assault.
Next week the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting a class that is exclusive to women. The Rape Aggression Defense System is a course for women that will teach them different self-defense techniques to fight off a potential rapist. This free 12 hour class will be held over the course of four days at the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office multi-purpose room.
The Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) course has been in place since 1989 and has over 11, 000 instructors certified through their system. This RAD course is specifically for women but they also have other courses available for men and seniors as well. The RAD course is both lecture and interactive where the instructors will teach the attendee’s topics such as situational awareness (how to look for something out of the ordinary), risk assessment, and much more. Kathy Wright, the Director of Women’s Programs at RAD, said “The student has control over their experience and can be as interactive as they choose.”
The course is also designed to enable women the ability to physically interact by using The R.A.D. Aggressor Simulation Training Suit® which has protective gear that covers the majority of the body. Students will be given the opportunity to physically interact with others to more practically learn how to escape an attacker. The techniques taught are all designed specifically to help a potential victim get away from a predator that has engaged in a physical attack.
Wright went on to state “We have had people as young as 9 years old up to people in their 80’s attend the course”. Once someone completes the course they are told about the lifetime return and practice program where graduates may attend the same course at any location worldwide at no charge.
The current Executive Board of RAD consists of four members that each have prior law enforcement experience and very specialized training in various areas.
If you are interested in signing up for the class offered at the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office.
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