Wilmington Police Department offers tips on practicing self-defense

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A deadly daylight attack on a woman out for a jog last week in Georgia has a lot of people on edge and taking a closer look at safety.   

WWAY spoke with Wilmington Police on Monday about practicing self-defense.  

“It’s very important to be aware of your surroundings. Whether you’re going to work, going to school, or just in day-to-day activities that you might be doing,” Lynn Hartley with Wilmington PD Community Engagement Unit said. 

WWAY spoke with Lynn Hartley. She’s with Wilmington PD’s Community Engagement Unit.  

She said while the first step of staying safe is awareness, which can often times help to avoid a situation. She said the next step is acceptance, which will help you determine what your next move is.  

“If you see something that’s starting maybe like a little red flag, your gut maybe telling you something just seems off and you hadn’t picked up on all the clues yet. Avoid that situation, you don’t have to walk straight to that danger,” Hartley said. 

Hartley said if you can’t simply walk away, at least try to keep the danger at a distance.  

“When you’re confronted by someone or an unknown subject, you’re not sure if they’re going to be dangerous or not. It’s good to—one of the main things is—to keep some distance from them,” Hartley said. 

When all else fails, she said you may have to get physical. This might include using pepper spray or a weapon.  

“Anything could be used for an item, your keys, especially if it has a metal prong on it—not just a key fob—or a pen, a pencil, things like that. Or, if you have a water bottle especially one that has weight to it—use that as a weapon,” Hartley said. 

Hartley encourages women who want to sharpen their self-defense skills, to fill out an online application for Wilmington PD’s self-defense class.  

You can access the application by visiting Wilmington PD’s website and viewing the community programs services tab. 

Hartley said to not hesitate to call law enforcement if you feel uneasy about the situation that you’re in. She said it’s better to be safe than sorry.