Highland Heights police announced that they will be offering a free women’s self-defense class, hosted by one of their own officers, on Sept. 12 at the Highland Heights Community Center, 5827 Highland Road.
The class will feature Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is specifically designed for a smaller person to defend themselves against a larger attacker by using leverage and by shifting their weight to place them in different holds and submission positions.
According to a Facebook post on Highland Heights Police Departments page, the class will be free – with spaces for up to 30 attendees and will have instruction on “Levels of Awareness, defending yourself in a confrontation, recognizing the danger cues, and four things to do in a confrontation.”
During an interview after Highland Heights State of the city address on Aug. 22, Lt. Brian Dassatti said that they have the classes two times a year, once in the fall and once in the spring and that he feels like the community enjoys the classes.
“It’s something we do twice a year,” Dassatti said. “Right here at the community center… About 25-30 ladies come out, one of my officers is a trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, so he is really good at what he does.”
He said that the department has a history of being interested in martial arts, as it was popular with their past chief of 32 years, James Cook who retired in June 2022. He said that the class will be about one or two hours long and that the classes are so popular, they have to limit the number of participants allowed.
“We have our former chief Jim Cook who is a martial arts guy, a big self-defense guy. He comes out and talks a little bit,” Dassatti said. “One of my female officers will be there to help with instruction… It’s gonna be a little bit of talking, kind of instructing them on how to keep their wits about them, and then some hands-on practical application of self-defense tactics.”
To register for the event, call Nancy Stoneman at 440-442-8825.
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