DeKalb Police to teach self-defense
Then-senior psychology major Brooke Harris defends herself from her opponent, an NIU campus police officer in full protective gear, in April 2014 during the Rape Aggression Defense program. The goal of the class is to educate women in case of an attack, said Lesley Rigg, interim vice president for Research and Graduate Studies.
November 3, 2015
The DeKalb Police Department will hold self-defense courses for women throughout November.
Officer Allison Benthusen and detective Paul Mott will provide attendees with information on defensive tactics and mindset, basic principles for self-defense and laws regarding sexual assault and rape, among other things. The courses are free and available to women 14 and older who are DeKalb residents, or go to NIU or Kishwaukee College.
“It’s empowering because it does teach different techniques and ways to get out of certain situations that some women, or probably most women, or older girls may just don’t really think of or have never thought of in the past,” said Chad McNett, community relations officer and training coordinator for the DeKalb Police Department. “It’s an eye-opening thing.”
The courses will be taught in three four-hour segments. They will be held 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 16, 17 and 19 in the DeKalb Police Department, Room 203. The class size is limited to 30 people.
A reservation is required to attend the courses. Contact Chad McNett at 815-748-8439 or [email protected] to register.