Teaching you street smarts

MAUMEE, Ohio (WUPW) - Crooks are always on the prowl ready to rob, steal, and attack.

According to a crime victim's group, someone in the United States is assaulted every 37 seconds.

Earlier this week Toledo police arrested 34-year-ld Brian Roach, who they believe is responsible for several attempted robberies, including one that left a 78-year-old man stabbed in the chest.

But a team ion Maumee called the Maumee Safety Initiative wants to teach you how to protect yourself, by teaching you some street smarts. The class isn't a self-defense course, but it will teach you how to defend yourself, by following your instincts.

"People are just not using good common sense judgement," said Maumee Police Officer Rob york. "People are not listening to their gut and when hair sticks up on the back of their neck. A lot of people are ignoring it.

Being aware of your surroundings is key to keep you from getting attacked, officer York said. He believes people are to busy with their lives they're missing out on what's hiding around the corner.

He's also hoping a class will change that.

"We're here just to inform some people on tips and tactics to make them more aware," he said. "We're hoping people come here and are optimistic about learning. We're not wanting to scare anybody to step out of their house. What we want to do is get more people out of their house."

The 2.5-hour course will be held here at Gateway Middle School, 900 Gibbs St., and it's open to the public.

Officer York, along with other partners, won't teach physical confrontation, but they will give a series of examples to help keep adults and young children safe.

"We're going to be educating them through some PowerPoint presentations and I'm going to be pulling people up randomly from the stands," he said. "We're going to have fun with this."

There will be three sessions and the classes will start later in September. To register, click here.