The Mountlake Terrace Police Department recently hosted a women’s self-defense class focused on self-awareness, recognizing social manipulation and physical defense.

Twenty-one women, ages 18 and up, gathered in the police department’s training room for information that can help them avoid or escape an assault. 

Department Sgt. Jeremy Perry organized the class and assisted with the physical defense portion. It was structured to follow the path of escalation one might encounter, starting with situational awareness, which was presented by Sgt. Megan Sheets.

Sheets explained that the first safety act is to be aware and curious of your surroundings and be mindful of what is typical and out of place: For example, a strange car not usually parked by your house or work, or a stranger that seems to be following you.

She also stressed the importance of noticing your environment and landmarks: Is the area well-lit? Where is the most populated area near me? Are the noises you are hearing normal?

But most of all, trust your intuition, or as one attendee called it, your “Spidey-Sense.” It is a natural human reaction that humans fight by trying to rationalize what they have heard or seen out of the corner of their eye.

An example given during the lecture was a sound at night. The rationalization is the cat or the neighbor’s car door. However, intuition tells us something is wrong and begs why. Our curiosity compels us to investigate the noise to determine if our intuition or rationality is correct.

During the session, Sheets exposed a con artist’s secret weapon: using your better graces against you. She explained that when growing up, people are generally taught to be polite in public and to feel shame if they are perceived as rude or not helping someone in need. This gives a con artist an entry into a forced conversation with you.

However, Sheets provided the class with a list of red flags to be aware of during an interaction.

Forced teaming is when someone gives the appearance of shared purpose or intent, such as someone walking next to you and asking, “Where are we going?” 

This attempts to place a connection between you and the stranger. Also, it can be used to gather information to create more false connections.

Sheets stressed that this sense of shared purpose is a projection the con artist uses and is not a coincidence.

Charm and niceness can also be a red flag. Sheets explained that charm has a motive: to put us in the good graces of another person to win their trust. She quoted a passage from Gavin De Becker’s book, The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence.

“Charm is almost always a directed instrument, which, like rapport-building, has motive,” she quoted. ”To charm is to compel, to control by allure or attraction. Think of charm as a verb, not a trait. If you consciously tell yourself, ‘This person is trying to charm me’ as opposed to, ‘This person is charming,’ you’ll be able to see around it.”

Too many details are another “detail” of which to be aware. The idea is that the more information you know about the person, the more credible their lie appears. This also allows sharing their backstory to garner sympathy or trust.

Typecasting is another tactic used to force a prolonged conversation with a stranger. Sheets defined it as “Applying an obviously critical label in order to get a response.”

Here’s an example: A stranger calls you rude or the equivalent because you ignored them. Your natural reaction is to dispute or correct the situation. This is also known as “gaslighting” and will prolong the conversation, which is what the con artist wants.

Loan sharking is a social situation in which a con artist will take advantage of a sense of debt, such as buying someone a drink or carrying their groceries. The con artist will use the act as leverage for you to engage in conversation and create a sense of obligation.

Another red flag to be aware of is unsolicited promises. 

“Promises are not guarantees,” Sheets said. “Promises are used to convince.”

These promises could range from a nice dinner to a trip or job offer. She said that if you feel doubt, it’s probably for a good reason, which circles back to intuition. Question why.

However, the most blatant red flag is when the person ignores the word “no,” which Sheets notes is always a red flag. That is when situational awareness will come in. Details of your surroundings may be necessary for an escape route or a path to safety.

Sheets stressed that no one is obligated to speak to a stranger, and if you feel unsafe, call 911.

She also explained that when you call 911, it’s important to first say where the event is happening. This is followed by what is happening and then who you are calling about. 

Mountlake Terrace Police Officer Maddy Fee discussed personal defense weapons and their pros and cons, starting with firearms. Though they are effective at equalizing a physical threat and can be used from a distance, there are significant drawbacks.

“They don’t work like on TV,” Fee said. 

Besides the price barrier, firearms have a learning curve, which makes the point-and-shoot tactic performed by actors deceptive. Effective firearm use requires extensive training.

There is also the risk of losing control of the firearm or having it taken from you by an assailant.

Pepper spray is a popular option. It is affordable and is available in sizes small enough to fit on a keychain. However, the effectiveness isn’t guaranteed, and there’s a chance you could be affected as well.

Fee explained that the mist can drift into the user’s face if the air direction changes. Also, it may take time— if it is effective at all.

“It doesn’t affect some people; it only makes them mad,” Fee said.

Having the opposite of the desired effect is a trait that pepper spray shares with tasers and stun guns. Though the latter options allow for use in close quarters or from a distance, with projectile probes being highly effective, clothing can block the electrical contacts.

Further, you must drive a hand-held Taser into the assailant, and the effects subside once it’s disconnected.

If all else fails, there is the simple kinetic force of a baton. You can keep people at arm’s length, and it’s as easy as swinging a stick.

The drawback is the weight of collapsible batons, and finding a way to carry one isn’t easy. Further, you need training to get complete effectiveness, and improper use can lead to severe injury or death.

Fee also presented the ups and downsides of knives. Like firearms, there is a risk of it being taken and used against you, and like the baton, it requires you to be close to the assailant. Also, knife regulations are different in each city and require training to be effective.

“Everybody gets cut,” Fee said.

Unlike the baton, there is a chance you could injure yourself with your knife. However, the knife is a compact tool for everyday use that is easily concealed and “very difficult to defend against.”

Last, Fee moved into improvised weapons — grabbing whatever you can to defend yourself. Water bottles, backpacks, purses, rocks and carrying your keys in a fist with the ends poking out from between your fingers can all be improvised weapons. 

But Fee pointed out that one thing is most important: the will and want to fight for your life.

After a break, the students ensured their pockets were empty and their shoes were off, and the class resumed with the practical portion. 

Det. David Nguyen and Perry demonstrated how to break different types of wrist grabs. The trick is to remember who comes first in an assault.

Nguyen explained that trying to pull away from someone will only drag them with you, which he demonstrated by sliding Perry across the mat on his socks.

The next attempt showed a different result. Perry gripped Nguyen’s wrist from the outer edge — the pinky side. Nguyen then leaned back, clenched his hands into a fist with the thumb pointing out, and pulled his hands toward his chest.

He asked the class who was most important in that situation, to which he pointed to his chest and said, “Me first.”

The weakest link of an attacker’s grip is where the thumb meets the fingers on the other side of the wrist. Using their technique, you will break their grip at the weak point or position your hands to create leverage.

If you cannot escape your attacker, some strikes will disorient or knock the air out of them. MLTPD Sgt. Matt Porter and Police Services Specialist Anjelica Rivera — a Shudokan 3rd degree black belt — demonstrated how to use your open palm to strike an opponent.

Rivera explained that the key to the open palm strike is where you hit with your palm.

Hold up your hand as if you were to motion someone to stop. The bottom of your palm, near where the thumb connects to the hand, is the base of your palm. 

You are less likely to suffer from an injured wrist or hand with an open palm strike because you are not depending on the strong wrist muscle for a solid connection. 

Rivera demonstrated on Porter how you can neutralize the threat by knocking the air out of your opponent with a blow to the solar plexus, targeting their stomach a few inches below the sternum.

To stun your opponent, a swift palm in the face might daze them enough to give you time to get away and call 911.

While there is not a future self-defense class scheduled, you find out more about Mountlake Terrace Police Department here.

— Story and photos by Rick Sinnett