As Chantelle Schember approached the ATM to withdraw money, two male attackers snuck up behind her. The first grabbed her from behind, taking her to the ground. Schember began screaming “No!” while kicking and elbowing the attacker in key areas until she was freed. As the second attacker approached, she continued yelling and fighting back until she saw the opportune moment to run away.
For Schember, who works in the Albany County District Attorney’s Office, this scenario was only a demonstration. Her “attackers” were clad in black protective pads and there was no actual ATM. But the scene recreated a familiar situation most women find themselves in from time to time. Being alone at night in an ATM vestibule can be a stressful situation for women, especially if they aren’t sure how to protect themselves.
A new Albany County program is aimed at changing that and making women feel more empowered, through a self-defense program that can be taken for free by women.
“We wanted to give women within the county and those visiting the Capital Region another tool in their toolbox to protect themselves from a violent attack and also give them the confidence to prevent attacks altogether,” said Albany County Sherriff Craig Apple.
The program is called the Rape Aggression Defense System, or R.A.D. It is nationally known and has been taught for 25 years. The Albany County program is being funded using asset seizure money collected from criminals.
According to Apple, about $10,000 was tapped for startup costs and to purchase the equipment needed.
“We’re taking their money and literally making crime pay,” said Apple. “So this program is not at a taxpayer expense, we want to offer it to every woman in the county for free.”
Albany County District Attorney David Soares said although cases of rape and sexual assault are going down in Albany County, “one case is a case too many.”
“It is our hope that the lessons and skills learned taught by the R.A.D. Team will empower women across the county and make them safer and less likely to become a victim,” he said.
Cindy Forte, the county’s new R.A.D. coordinator, is teaching the classes. She is willing to travel if a group of women have a location they want to meet at, or she will find one if needed. The idea is to have women at local colleges and working at schools take the course, as well as state workers. Women can also get together a group of friends to take the course as a night out, or can call to find a prescheduled class that works best for them.
The R.A.D. System has provided training to more than 900,000 women since it was created. Each course is 12 hours long and according to Forte, begins with women exploring their self-conscious. It also consists of risk awareness and reduction before working up to learning self-defense techniques and a simulation that allows students to use what they learned.
Forte said there are hundreds of success stories from women who have taken the class and were later accosted.
“Even for women who have taken the class a decade ago, muscle memory kicks in,” she said.
Forte also said the screaming and yelling during an attack may sound a bit extreme, but it has a purpose. Often, if a woman stands her ground and begins yelling as soon as an aggressor approaches her, that person will run away.
However, Forte did warn that R.A.D. is not a martial arts program and should not be thought of as such.
“A R.A.D. student’s goal is to use what they’ve learned to escape and survive,” she said.
For more information about the Albany County R.A.D. Team, contact Cindy Forte at [email protected] or visit the team’s Facebook page.