Falls Church Police Proactive About Teaching Women to Defend Themselves

Between 2008 and 2012, there were six forcible fondling cases reported in the City of Falls Church including one of a 40-year-old woman in October.

Police department Chief Mary Gavin said police are still investigating that case and earlier reports say the alleged suspect in the case could be linked to a bigger ring of such attacks in Fairfax County. To aid women with defending themselves against would be attackers, Falls Church police have offered a free Rape Aggression Defense Course to women 12-years-old and up for the last 11 years.

“Women tend to be the victims of attacks,” Gavin said Monday. “Predators are always looking for an opportunity.”

With classes slated for Feb. 4, 8, 11 and 15, officers from the department will teach women self-defense tactics and techniques to protect themselves against attackers. The four class, three-hour sessions will be held at George Mason High School and is open to women only. Instructors in the program are nationally certified. The course has also been awarded the Meritorious Public Safety Award by the city for their contribution to the community. 

Over the last five years, Gavin said there have been 92 simple assaults against women in the city, 17 sexual offenses and seven forcible rapes. She said the nearly hundred simple assaults could be anything from domestic violence to stalking. Gavin said the department has been proactive in getting training on how to deal with female attack victims for its officers.

“One of the things we’ve done is get training from the Institute for Violence Against Women to get more information and training on how to deal with these kinds of attacks,” she said.

For more information or to register for the course, e-mail ksdempsey@verizon.net or call 703-248-5061. There are a limited number of spaces available.