Irving police officers are teaching women and teen girls to defend themselves during an assault. The nonprofit Irving Police Athletic/Activities League adopted the Rape Aggression Defense program in March for its community outreach program.
“We felt the need that we needed to start this program because the Irving Police Athletic League has received several inquiries over the past several months before this program was implemented on women and self-defense,” Crime Prevention Officer Lance Pikert said.
Other community programs, such as Kickstart Kids, complement the Irving PAL’s programs, he said. Kickstart Kids provides martial arts trainings at Irving school district schools.
“With what we’re dealing with in society today and kids getting abducted at such early ages, I think that, with the right instructor, you can probably find a way to teach kids on how to best run from their abductor or defend themselves ,” said Marissa Leach, Kickstart Kids’ North Texas development manager.
