(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE, Wash. -This week, there are fresh numbers from the Spokane Police Department's weekly crime report, and it's not looking good. Compared to this time last year, violent crime is up overall 22 percent. But Spokane Police are having a self-defense class this month, so you as a community, can protect yourself from being a victim of a violent crime.
"Technique can trump size and strength," Lieutenant Shawn Kendall, Spokane Police, said.
Lieutenant Kendall has been teaching "survival mindset" to women for years, and he says that situational awareness and pre-planning are the first steps to protecting yourself from being assaulted.
"So that's why the hands on training is more practical for our youth," Kendall said.
When you look at the weekly crime report turned in by spokane police, it's the numbers in red that represent trends going in the wrong direction.
Three categories in particular deal with stranger danger: personal robbery, up nearly 10 percent. Aggravated assault, up 22 percent. Rape, up 32 percent. All these percentages are from last year, until now.
Which is why, given the data, a class offered up this month by Spokane Police couldn't come at a better time. The class will teach women things to look out for in everyday situations.
Kendall tells KHQ everyone who joins will be practicing their new techniques on police officers. The class costs $25 and is held at the Police Academy on Sep. 27th from 6 - 10 pm.
For more information on the course, click here: https://my.spokanecity.org/police/citizen/training/