Merriam police hold class teaching women self defense
MERRIAM, Kan. – With violence against women still high worldwide, the Merriam Police Department held a free class for women Thursday, teaching them self-defense skills at a Situational Awareness Workshop.
“Violence against women is always high. It’s continuing to escalate every single day, so the more women we can try to empower, that’s our goal,” said Det. Brandon Bates, who was one of two officials hosting.
He said about 85% of women freeze during an attack, so his goal with this workshop is to try to bring that down even by just a percentage point.
“That’s the goal here, right? Just to have one or two more people go home at night,” he said.
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About a dozen women attended the free workshop, including Merriam resident Bri Clayton. She explained that issues like stalking and attempted break-ins led her to take the 1.5-hour course.
“I think learning a couple of the simple maneuvers will be spurned in my memory, and I’m thinking about sharing it with some friends too,” she said.
Since Merriam is a smaller city, we looked at data from Overland Park, a larger neighboring city.
Crime data from the first three months of this year shows 73 reports of aggravated assault and 260 incidents of simple assault.
When comparing that to the largest city in the metro those numbers jump significantly. Data shows Kansas City had nearly 7,400 simple assaults for all of 2022 and roughly 6,300 reports of aggravated assault.
While learning how to defend yourself properly takes months, if not years, Thursday’s class was a steppingstone for those wanting to be on their guard.
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“I knew the basics of being aware and locking your doors, but other things of just being loud when it’s easier to just keep your head down and keep walking; I think that’s a good reminder,” Clayton said.
The Merriam Police Department plans to hold this class once a year. Meanwhile, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office hosts more intermediate classes on self-defense.
