Ocoee Police hosts monthly self-defense classes for women

By Zak Kerr
| 1:32 a.m. January 22, 2015

West Orange Times & Observer
News

OCOEE — For vulnerable members of society, such as children, there are plenty of tips police officers offer for staying out of danger: do not go near strangers; try to avoid being out alone, especially at night; stay in well-lit areas whenever you can.

Even when following all of this advice and more, there is still an increased likelihood that females in particular will become targets for certain crimes, such as homicides involving intimacy or sex, according to a November 2011 study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

And when that moment comes, every woman should be prepared, said Patera Scott-Marsh, an officer with the Ocoee Police Department.

“You never know what type of situation you might have yourself in,” she said. “You have to be aware of your surroundings. You just never know when you are going to be in that situation. You have to be able to protect yourself and your family and be able to make wise decisions about your safety.”

That is why the Ocoee Police Department hosts self-defense classes each month, exclusively for females age 13 and older.

“We’ve been doing it since at least 2009, and we’ve been doing it as a need for the public, so they can be informed,” Scott-Marsh said. “It is about giving people options; it’s an awareness class for giving people an idea of what’s going on.”

The idea is that women and teenage girls, who could find themselves in perilous situations where they are unable to match the strength or speed of a male aggressor, could gain an advantage by having techniques they learn in self-defense classes such as this, but only if potential aggressors are unaware of the techniques and how to counter or avoid them.

“We do have male instructors, and that’s the only male who can be in the class,” Scott-Marsh said. “You have to be a certified instructor to teach this class at an agency.”

The class is from the National Self Defense Institute’s Self-defense Awareness and Familiarization Exchange curriculum, usually the same material each month. It lasts three hours, with presentations on self-defense, crime prevention and domestic violence.

“We have a victim advocate that comes from Victim Services,” Scott-Marsh said. “We do give them that option so they can have someone to talk to before, during or after the class. It’s some information and some light-contact moves.”

The class has been popular among a wide variety of women, Scott-Marsh said.

“We’ve had students from 13 to 78 years old, so we have a good, well-rounded group,” she said. “We usually have two instructors, but we have had 60-plus people, so we’ve had to (use) all our instructors certified to teach. Sometimes, I’ve had to go as far as 10 instructors.”

In instances where demand becomes greater than the limit of 20 listed for this month’s class, neighboring departments such as Winter Garden and Windermere can lend a hand, Scott-Marsh said.