VERO BEACH — While some children are spending this week resting and relaxing, a select few are taking a couple hours out of each day to become “RAD Kids” – empowered children who know how to defend themselves and stay safe.
“She’ll gnaw on somebody,” 6-year-old Danika’s grandmother, Sandy Harrelson, teased before class started Tuesday. Danika is missing her two front teeth and had asked about biting a would-be attacker.
The Vero Beach Police Department offers the RAD Kids program a couple times a year, which teaches children from beginning to end personal safety. The program, which is free to the public, doesn’t cost the police department anything to put on, either, according to coordinator Officer John Morrison. Officer Morrison teaches the class with fellow Officer Megan Dewitt.
“I’m not going to teach you how to beat someone to a pulp,” Officer Morrison told the seven children who attended Tuesday’s class. “That’s not why we’re here.”
During the hour and a half class, the students brushed up on their RAD Kid stance – a special way of standing and carrying themselves that would help them fight off an attacker – practiced their “monster” voices, and learned about gun safety, fire safety, and poisons.
Jackie Girard said she wanted Sam, 10, and Mia, 8, to take the class so they could learn to defend themselves.
While they, with their classmates, guessed whether a displayed gun was real or fake, Girard took notice.
“The guns kind of stuck out,” she said when asked if she had learned anything from the class.
Officer Morrison displayed three fake guns – one a training tool for law enforcement and another with all the working pieces of a real gun.
He noted that many guns are sold at gun shows and some vendors paint the guns in any way customers want – including Hello Kitty and Spiderman.
“That was disturbing,” Girard said.
Sandy Harrelson said Danika’s dad, Vero Beach Police Lt. Matt Harrelson, wanted Danika to take part in the class, but she was glad to have attended, too.
“The only thing I had learned was” to carry keys between the fingers for self-defense, Harrelson said, explaining that the keys between the fingers could slash or poke an attacker. She’s taken note of the self-defense moves the kids were being taught.
“I think it’s an excellent course for kids,” she said.
Twelve-year-old Rami Al-Khatib’s mom, Maritza, agreed.
“He needs to be able to defend himself,” she said.
Al-Khatib signed up Rami and his 12-year-old cousin, Arty Escobar, for the program because she wanted them to learn about safety.
“It’s good for them,” she said. “You never know.”
RAD Kids is a national program, which started in Massachusetts, and stands for Resist Aggression Defensively.
Officers Morrison and Dewitt will teach the children about safety regarding the home, guns, fire, animals, and bicycles, along with how to deal with strangers, during the course of the week. Though the program usually runs five days, this one is truncated due to Good Friday.
On Thursday, the students will “graduate” by putting their skills to the test against the “Red Man” – Officer Morrison covered head to toe in red padding to protect himself against the children as he tries to attack them.
Anyone interested in registering their child in the next program or learning more about RAD Kids, can call Officer John Morrison at (772) 978-4649 or visit www.VBPD.org and click “Child Safety.”
