A Fighting Chance: Peabody Police Look To Expand RAD Program

PEABODY, MA – When Sgt. James Harkins was working nights at the Peabody Police station, he would come home and tell his wife about his day. The best days, he said, were when he could tell her he caught a sexual assailant.

Then Harkins realized the better story would be that they arrested a would-be assailant, but the targeted victim was in a position to fight back and kicked the crap out of the suspect.

Harkins took over the station's Rape Aggression Defense, or RAD, program about two years ago. RAD for women (there are versions of the training for men, seniors, and kids) teaches participants self-defense maneuvers that focus on technique over strength. The classes are meant to empower women to escape an abusive situation, whether perpetrated by a stranger or a partner.

According to 2015 data from the Department of Justice, there are on average 321,500 victims of sexual assault age 12 or older annually in the U.S. That's a sexual assault every 98 seconds.

Harkins asked me to take the class and write about my experience. I was nervous to take it because I hadn't taken any classes in a solid three years, but I also feel that everyone can benefit from knowing how to defend themselves. Reporters are in strange situations a lot. Like, a lot. Sometimes it's writing about baby ducks, and sometimes you're in a stranger's terrifying basement.

On the whole, you're hard pressed to find a person – particularly a woman – who hasn't felt unsafe at some point.

"I fell in love with it from day one," said Harkins after the class had wrapped up. "I don't know if I'll ever stop teaching it." He's trying to get the class run more frequently, but the department borrows 90 percent of its equipment from a retired Wilmington officer.

Equipment and manpower make up most of the cost. For someone to get trained as a RAD instructor, it's $450. The suits – fitted pads to protect students and instructors throughout the course – cost $1,300 for the simulated aggressors and $300 for the students' equipment.

Peabody Police offers its class for free. The Peabody officers and instructors, for the most part, volunteered their time to help. Some locations charge for the cost of the manual, but per program rules, once a student has gotten the manual and had it signed by an instructor, they won't be charged if they take the class again.

Women signed up for Harkins' class for varying reasons: Their jobs put them in situations where they're alone with strangers; their hobbies took them to isolated places; or they were going off to college. Women across a wide age range came alone or with friends or relatives. Harkins said every class is different, and I was fortunate to get put in a class with a good sense of humor. From my perspective, everyone was getting along and making jokes by the last class. During the simulation, we cheered on our classmates as they fought off aggressors.

After the class, three participants told me the dedication of the volunteer instructors was inspiring, and they would recommend it to the women in their lives without hesitation.

"I would come back as many times as needed," said one student.

The topics at hand were heavy, but the students and instructors handled them with sensitivity. The simulated attacks in our last class were intense, but the students supported each other through the anxiety.

At the end, everyone had landed a punch.

Peabody Police Reserve Officer Anthony Rossi helped Harkins instruct my class, his first since getting certified as an instructor.

"Now I know for sure that this whole program works," Rossi said. He said he recognized the stages of progression from when he took the instructor's class. At first, everyone was a little reluctant, but as the drills continued the cobwebs came out.

"I really did buy into it. I love the program. Especially that last night, we got to see everyone really let loose," said Rossi.

The class was scary. Before taking it, I envisioned it as a P.E. class but with other adults you don't know and concerning a grave topic. I was worried I'd have to find a partner but didn't know anyone in the class (this did happen, it was fine, my classmates were lovely). It was enough physical exercise that I was sore after a couple classes.

The last class, when we put on pads and went through different potential attacker scenarios, far overshadows everything else. The instructors put it together in a way to build the intensity of the scenarios slowly. I can't remember a time when I was more nervous than I was before starting the first simulation.

As scary as it was, it was also incredible. The adrenaline made my hands shake for two hours after the last class had ended. And I know the lessons I learned don't guarantee my safety, but I feel better prepared if I'm ever in a dangerous situation.

One thing the program talks about that is important to note is that the techniques can't help in every scenario. There are situations in which the safest thing a victim can do is comply with the aggressor. No matter the circumstances, whether self- defense is part of the picture or not, it's not the victim's fault.

RAD for men has more of a focus on conflict resolution and some lessons in affirmative consent. But fewer men want to take the course, and unwilling participants don't get anything out of it.

"It's not about fighting," said Harkins of RAD for women. "It's about protecting yourself and escaping the situation."

To learn more about RAD, or donate to the Peabody Police program, call Sgt. Harkins at 978-538-6358.

Image via Taylor Rapalyea, Patch staff. RAD instructors after the last class.