Many of the lessons learned in our youth carry into our adult years.
While some of the teachings are never used, some skills can help us in the most critical situations imaginable.
For the past six years, local law enforcement has educated high school seniors on how to avoid victimization.
The goal of the yearly SAFE (Situational Awareness for Everyday) Class isn’t to turn young women into the next Holly Holm or Ronda Rousey, but to give the students the tools they need to defend themselves.
The course, which is coming up in a couple weeks, will be taught by officers from the Columbus Police Department and Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.
The annual event draws a substantial crowd from students across the area.
Last March, about 100 girls from Columbus East, Columbus Christian, Hauser, and Greensburg high schools attended the first SAFE course of the year, which is a one-day class. A second class was held later in the month.
The free sessions were split into two portions. There was a classroom period where officers taught students about red flags to be aware of before going through physical tactics.
The class is built around learning skills and identifying red flags that women can use to reduce their chances of victimization, especially during the next four years, a time which officers call both the most exciting and the riskiest of young women’s lives.
As successful as the program is, officers decided to make some changes this year.
In 2020, there will also be an additional SAFE class held for males.
The addition of the class was a response to requests from the community, according to Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman.
There are many dangerous situations that can arise for adults in their late teens and early 20s.
According to the National Center for Education Statistic’s most recent numbers, there were 28,400 criminal incidents against person and property on campuses at post-secondary institutions in 2016. Among the on-campus crimes reported were 12,000 burglaries, 8,900 forcible sex offenses, and 3,000 motor vehicle thefts. There was also 1,100 robberies and 2,200 aggravated assaults.
All of those numbers are just from on-campus incidents, and do not include crimes happening on off-campus gatherings.
Kudos to the police department for continuing to put on the important informational session, and also opening it up to boys.
In this crazy world, it’s better to be prepared than sorry.
Not only are the police gaining the trust of the public by taking input to heart on this, but they’re also helping the next generation learn important life skills.
Maybe some of those male and female students attending the class will become inspired and decide to pursue a career in law enforcement.
Who knows? Maybe the students in the seats will by teaching the class in 10 years.
