Greenfield Police Department Offers Defense Training for Women

The statistics are staggering.

According to the Greenfield Police Department, one sexual assault occurs every two minutes in the United States.

One violent crime occurs every 5 seconds, and 172 women are physically or sexually assaulted every hour.

Thousands of women every year are the victims of these crimes, often because the attacker believes the woman won't fight back and is an easy target.

The Greenfield Police Department and its Female Awareness and Survival Training (FAST) hope to change that.

FAST is a practical self-defense program designed exclusively for women, according to department literature. It teaches women both survival concepts as well as techniques to avoid dangerous situations and reduce the risk of an assault.

It's the second straight year the department has offered the program.

“There’s a need for it,” Lieutenant Jay Johnson said. “The world is increasingly more dangerous every day. As time goes on and as the economy continues to suffer, people become more desperate and as part of that, people prey on victims.

“We take an approach that it’s not so much to be able to physically fend off an attack, but to help (women) understand why they’re a target and how to avoid becoming one. If you can act the part of being strong and not a victim, your chance of being a victim are reduced.”

It is a two-day course that is split between classroom-style lectures and hand-to-hand training and it will be held at the from 6-8:30 p.m. May 25 and 26.

The course is free but pre-registration is required. Applications are available at the Greenfield Police Department. You must be 17 years or older to attend, and according to Johnson, there were only nine spots remaining for this month's course.

For more information contact Johnson at 414-761-5378 or jay.johnson@gfpd.org.