Women getting empowered with self-defense through Elkhart County Sheriff's Office
ELKHART, Ind. — The Elkhart County Sheriff's Office held a two-week women's self-defense and empowerment class free of charge, using the national program, R.A.D (Rape Aggression Defense) systems of self-defense.
The class was held in four sessions, the final class happening on Thus. evening where the participants put all the life-saving skills they learned together for a real-life scenario simulation day.
“My role is an instructor here, we teach women basic self-defense and empowerment so that they may feel confident in engaging an aggressor and surviving a situation,” said Elkhart County Sheriff detective and instructor for R.A.D, Brandon Denesuk.
Det. Denesuk said Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office has been offering the program for 26 years. He said while we often think of attackers being random, the most likely perpetrator is someone you know.
“People don’t want to think that it could be somebody within their inner circle, they don’t want to think it’s that person that they share a connection with or even share a bed with, but unfortunately, that is the real reality of the situation. We want to make sure women are aware of that and will know how to act and protect themselves,” explained Det. Denesuk.
He said the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office aims to offer at least three to four R.A.D sessions, free of cost, each year. The women’s class is for ages 12 to 99.
“We feel it’s important to offer it free of cost because we’re teaching women powerful skills and tools… we want to make sure women are encouraged to participate in these classes without any kind of financial obligation,” said Det. Denesuk.
Since R.A.D’s 1989 start, more than 900,000 women have participated in a basic physical defense program across the county, but they also offer programs for men, children, and seniors. There are dozens offered across Indiana through various organizations and universities.
To learn more about RAD or find a program near you, click here.*
Additional resources:
- Elkhart County Sheriff's Office Victims Resources - https://sheriff.elkhartcounty.com/en/resources/victim-assistance/
- Family Justice Center of St. Joseph County - https://www.fjcsjc.org/
- Elkhart Council on Aging abuse and Adult Protective Services resources - https://www.elkhartcoa.org/abuse-resources
- After Silence: online support group for rape, sexual assault, and sexual abuse survivors - www.aftersilence.org
- Victim Law - www.victimlaw.com
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service - www.ncjrs.gov
- Helping Survivors: for survivors of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment to understand their rights and access the resources they need - www.helpingsurvivors.org
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