The Eagle Eye

R.A.D. Class Teaches Women Safety Tips Free of Charge

Friday, June 08, 2007 By Jae Aron

Somewhere in America, a woman is sexually assaulted every two minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Two years ago, after former Jamestown student Brittany Binger was raped and murdered, the James City County Police Department created the Rape Aggression Defense System program (R.A.D), in the hopes of changing this statistic. The defense training program for women is free to the community in cooperation with the James City /Williamsburg Community Center. In response to Brittany’s murder, the class was offered at Jamestown, but only a few people signed up. Treasurer Paula Parsons was one of them. “People don’t think it’s going to happen to them,” Mrs. Parsons said. “I’d have my grandchildren take the class in a heartbeat.” In the three days following Brittany’s death, Jamestown staff and students donated over $1200 to help pay for her burial. The money was not needed, and since then the money has been held in the “Brittany Binger Account” for a relation use. When it came to Mrs. Parsons attention that the police department had to borrow R.A.D. protective gear from William and Mary security, she asked Principal Chuck Wagner for permission to use the fund for the instructor defensive suit, as well as for four sets of student protective gear, in Brittany’s honor. “All of a sudden, I thought ‘this is it’,” she said. “My hope would be that the donation will awaken interest at this school.” JCC Police Officer and certified R.A.D. instructor Alan McDowell Jr. believes the program should be incorporated into the Williamsburg James City County P.E. curriculum. He said curriculum is now taught to junior and senior girls in Hampton schools, in addition to over 400 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. “Every young lady should have the opportunity to take the class, so it should be as convenient as possible,” Officer McDowell said. “The cool thing about R.A.D. and why I believe in it so much is that it’s the only program that offers a return and practice policy for the rest of your life.” Officer McDowell said that as long as you’ve attended all the classes he will sign off on your manual and by R.A.D. corporate policy you can take it again for free. “If you took the class at 16 then you have an avenue to take the class,” he said. “If you go to a different state when you’re 21 and show your manual signed and the instructor still charges you he will never be able to teach again. Period.” Officer McDowell said he teaches everything from how to be more aware of your surroundings and danger signs to look out for to vehicle and aircraft safety. The first nine hours are in class instruction. “The majority of R.A.D. instructors are in law enforcement so we are able to talk about current trends,” he said. “We can gear the training towards current issues and give the class a local angle.” The last three hours give students an opportunity to put the physical skills they learned, such as strikes, kicks, and how to get out of wrist grabs, chokes, and bear hugs to the test. “The simulation is a practical application to everything learned in the class,” Officer McDowell said. “You can work at your own pace. There’s no pressure to participate, but we encourage the other students to encourage you.” The first of three “simulated assault” scenarios is called a walk by. The student and instructor are wearing safety gear, but the instructor will not strike or throw the student to the ground. “It’s low stress because we tell the student what to do,” Officer McDowell said. “[The simulations] are beneficial because when you’re in a stressful environment you’re not thinking clearly. I try to add as much realism as I can.” Even though the instructor and student are wearing safety gear, Officer McDowell said he can tell if the student is putting forth a full force strike. “I can gage the students’ different skill levels,” he said. “There’s acting involved. I have to ask myself, if I was not wearing the suit, would that have been effective defense against abduction?” Officer McDowell said there is no stereotypical R.A.D. student. He has had high school and college students, as well as women with physical handicaps and 82-year-old grandmothers take the class. With the exception of instructors, there are no males in the class. “We ask the ladies not to go home and practice the techniques with their male counterparts for two reasons,” Officer McDowell said. “One, people change over time and two, it’s an empowerment program for women, but for everything there is a counter to it and someone could hurt their confidence level.” Officer McDowell said the only cost is 12 hours of your time. “The student to teacher ratio is about 12 per class, but I will never turn anyone away,” he said. “It’s not about numbers-- it’s about safety.”