ABINGTON POLICE PROGRAMS: R.A.D.

Message from Chief Majenski on RAD:

Thank you for visiting the Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) portion of our web page. The Abington Police Department hopes to offer this training a minimum of four times a year. We have trained more than eighty women to date, ranging from ages eighteen to sixty eight. The feed back that I have received from the participants is, without exception, the most positive I have ever received. Although my words cannot do the program justice, I strongly believe that this training is the most important and useful program that any police department can offer its female citizens. If you would like more information regarding R.A.D., please do not hesitate to call Officer Lisa Donelan at (781) 878-3232 Ext. 0921

Sincerely,
Chief David Majenski
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The Abington Police Department conducts Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) Systems Basic Physical Defense classes. The classes will be free of charge to all town residents. RAD is a 12 hour basic self-defense class designed for women. The Rape Aggression Defense classes are taught nationally and in Canada and is endorsed by the International Association of Campus Law. The RAD approach to personal safety education embodies a practical blend of threat avoidance strategies and real-world assault resistance tactics for women. The focus of the RAD course of instruction is on the development of easily-mastered personal safety skills which can be safely practiced within a comfortable learning environment, and the coupling of those physical skills with a threat assessment process which will increase physical safety awareness. The overall goal is to reduce victimization through informed decision making and sensible action. The RAD program is not martial arts or a traditional self-defense course. It fills a longstanding void by enabling women to learn in a period of several hours a set of cognitive and physical skills which will be of benefit for years to come. The choice to be made regarding resistance in any particular situation is a very personal one. RAD students find the manner of instruction to be supportive and the course, as a whole, to be a very empowering experience.

R.A.D. offers the opportunity to exert physical strength with dynamic simulations. Many women do not have a self realization of their own physical power. Dynamic simulations are scenarios where the instructors pose as attackers and the student use the skills they learned to defend themselves. During the dynamic simulations, students will wear protective gear and the instructors will be protected wearing a specially designed "RAD Aggressor" suit. The "RAD Aggressor" suit will allow the student to use full power when defending against the attack. It also gives women a chance to see themselves as being effective in a confrontational situation. The dynamic simulation is not required to graduate from the course, however it is strongly recommended for the "empowering" effect.

All students who complete the course receive a lifetime return and practice policy at any RAD Basic Physical Defense Program offered anywhere, regardless of instructor. The student may return as often as she wishes, free of charge.

The Abington Police Department has two instructors: Officer Lisa Donelan For additional information please call the Abington Police Station.
Officer Lisa Donelan (781) 878-3232 Ext. 0921

R.A.D. FAQs

A program of realistic, self-defense tactics and techniques. This course for women, is taught by certified R.A.D. Instructors, providing the student with hands-on-self defense training.

The R.A.D. System Objective:
“To develop and enhance the options of self-defense, so they may become more viable considerations to the woman who is attacked” Lawrence N. Nadeau

What does R.A.D. stand for?
Rape – Aggression – Defense SystemsWhat does R.A.D. mean? “Defense against abduction”

What does R.A.D do?
R.A.D. empowers women through self-defense.

How?
1) By educating women in basic confrontational principles, like understanding reaction time, vulnerable target areas. Personal weapons, postures of conflict, physiological effects of the body during confrontation and development of a survival mind set. The more women learn about confrontational principles, the less they fear confrontation.
2) By instilling a dependency on self. Throughout their lives, women may have been taught to be dependent upon someone or something for their protection: their father, brother, boyfriend, husband, the police, a dog, etc. Though society has condoned and encouraged this dependency, self-defense trainers know that you must first depend upon yourself. Self-reliance is an integral element of empowerment.
3) By helping women understand the enormous responsibility of making their own decisions. A woman must learn to decide when and when not to use force in self-defense. She must make her own decisions based upon what is right for her at that point in time. Educating the woman to realize that she is responsible for her own actions (or inaction's) reinforces the concept of self-dependency.
4) By creating an opportunity for a woman to exert her physical strength which creates a self-realization of physical power. By helping women to experience the power of their strength in a training environment, they can begin to see themselves as effective in confrontation. A result of this self-realization of power is confidence.

The instructor:
Lisa Donelan is a Certified R.A.D. Instructor and is also a member of the Abington Police Department.

Class Schedule:
It will be held at the Woodsdale School located on Chestnut St. in Abington. Please Pick up applications at the front desk of the Abington Police Department, located at 215 CentralSt., or contact Officer Lisa Donelan at 781-878-3232 X 0921. You may also download applications that are available as PDFs at the top of the page.

Where:
The sessions are held at the Woodsdale School located on Chestnut Street in Abington.

Structure:
The first class is a discussion class initiated by the instructors which touches upon Risk Reduction Strategies and several statistics regarding crimes against women. The class is open for any topics that may be brought up. The following two nights are designed for instructing and teaching the women basic principles of self-defense. Finally, on the fourth night the women will be given an opportunity to utilize the self-defense considerations that have been taught to them by going through a simulation with an aggressor. The simulation is only an option, not everyone has to participate, however, we strongly recommend that you do because it helps reinforce everything that you have learned and it develops ones confidence.
Class information will be posted on the WEB Site or can be obtained by calling the Abington Police Station via the business line 781-878-3232. Furthermore, application forms can be picked up at the Abington Police Station.