The Dalton Police Department will host another session of the popular RAD Systems Women's Self Defense Class in June.  Previous sessions of the class, which is taught by Dalton Police Training Officer Brian Pack, have been well-received by women who have participated.

The course will take place over four nights in January (Jan. 15, 17, 29, and 31) from 6-9 p.m. The Jan. 15, class will meet at the Dalton Police Services Center, and the others will be held at the new Mack Gaston Community Center on Fredrick Street.  The course is being offered free of charge.  The class is limited to 20 participants, and the course is designed for women ages 13 and up.  However, women younger than age 18 may participate, but must have a parent or guardian sign a waiver to enroll. 

The program is for women only – wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, girlfriends – and all who successfully complete the course will have a lifetime return policy allowing them to participate in any R.A.D System program to refresh their skills at any time.  The 12-hour course educates women on safety strategies to minimize their chances of becoming a victim, and physical tactics aimed at disabling an attacker long enough to escape.  Officer Pack, certified in the R.A.D System of Self Defense, will wear a padded “Red Man” suit for some of the exercises which allow the women to practice defensive maneuvers they have learned in the class without the fear of injuring the instructor.

“Our ultimate goal is to promote safety and build confidence,” said Officer Pack. “Our hope is that no one will ever have to use the skills they’ll learn in this class, but we want them to feel safe wherever they go. We’re not teaching people how to fight, but to have some skills they can use to create enough of a diversion to create distance and get away if they ever find themselves in a dangerous situation."

An application for the class is available online at the Dalton Police Blog (daltonpdblog.org).  The link can be found on the left hand side of the screen at the bottom of the “Links” section under “Women’s Self Defense Class Application”.  Please apply for the class only if you can attend all sessions of the class.

Women interested in the class may also email Officer Brian Pack at bpack@cityofdalton-ga.gov for more information.