FRANKLIN, TN (WSMV) – The Franklin Police Department is offering a free class that could potentially save your life.

Police will be holding R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) classes in the coming months.

Franklin Police said 78 women are forcibly raped every hour in the United States and one of every four college students have reported being sexually assaulted at sometime during their four years in school.

Police want you to know how to protect yourself. With the end of the school year coming up, young women are getting ready to go off for school.

The R.A.D. classes in Franklin are a four-day, 12-hour course. Students will learn how to safely protect yourself and get out of a dangerous situation.

The instructors will go through different worst-case scenarios.

“We’ll go through everything from actually doing strikes to doing more manipulation moves,” said Franklin Police Sgt. Amy Butler. “For instance, if you’re being strangled, on how to force the attacker’s hands away enough to be able to breathe.

“We talk about saying no. No is the word we use for every move that we do because we want to get people used to verbalizing, standing up for themselves, to yell instead of scream because you want to make sure you’re breathing when an attack happens to you.”

One thing you never want to do is sit in your car and look at your phone.

Police said this is a prime way to make yourself a target.

The best thing you can do is get in your call, lock the door and drive off.

If you’re interested, Franklin Police still have openings for the May, June and July courses. Contact Butler or call 615-794-2513. You can also download a RAD registration form.

Vanderbilt University also offers the free course. There is still availability in the July class.

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