The class, offered once or twice a month, is an informative way to help women become more aware of ways to protect themselves against attackers, according to class teacher Sgt. Luanne Brown of the Carbondale Police Department.

This class teaches women passive and physical resistance towards an attacker, Brown said. It also shows women how to react if an attacker has a weapon.

The main emphasis of the class is to teach women how to avoid an attack and what to do if attacked, she said.

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Brown said the first workshop teaches participants methods to escape from an attacker. In the second workshop, students learn to take down an attacker with the help of a police officer in a protective suit.

Brown said although former rape and spouse abuse victims have participated in the class, she is not aware of any former students who have had to use the defensive skills they learned,

Becky Applegate, senior accounting clerk for the city of Carbondale said the class increases women’s awareness of options to protect themselves.

This class made me very aware of my surroundings and what to watch for to protect myself, Applegate said. I thought the defensive moves in the workshop were very simple to learn and were easy to remember.

Taresa Bastien, a secretary in Carbondale’s attorney office, said the class is important even if women only learn one new method for protecting themselves.

This class is very informative and the officers who taught it did a very good job, Bastien said. I think if I learned even one thing, it will make a big difference in me defending myself against an attacker.

The class features a lecture on Aug. 21, and workshops on Aug. 24 and Aug. 28. The lectures and the workshops begin at 6 p.m. and end at 9 p.m.

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The Carbondale Police Department will teach the class for a group of women upon request. For more information call the department at (618) 457-3200 Ext. 428.