Personal Safety for Women

    The Vienna Police Department, in conjunction with the R.A.D. System, is proud to offer personal safety classes for women. R.A.D. stands for Rape Aggression Defense, which is a system of self-defense that is provided in cities and on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. The Vienna Police Department has been a proud sponsor of R.A.D. for over 10 years. The approach taken is a blend of threat avoidance strategies and real-world assault resistance tactics for women. The overall goal is to reduce victimization through informed decision making and sensible actions.

    Classes consist of four evenings at the Vienna Community Center. Each three-hour class involves classroom and hands-on training in personal safety. Within this safe and controlled environment, role playing can be conducted to help develop skills.

    The Rape Aggression Defense System is primarily a basic education of confrontation principals and personal defense. Our program ranges from awareness, prevention, risk reduction and avoidance, to basic physical defense, aerosol defense options, flashlight keychain defense and advanced self-defense methods. (From the Participant's Manual by Lawrence N. Nadeau, Founder of Rape Aggression Defense Systems, Inc.)

    The R.A.D. sessions take place throughout the year with the exception of the winter months. Classes run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center. The Summer class in August is full. The next class will be November 1, 3, 8, and 10, 2010.

To register, contact the Vienna Community Center at 703-255-6360.
Registration fee is $5.00; $7.50 for non-town residents.
Equipment fee is $15.00. Fees are due first night of class.