BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Police Department is offering its women's equalizer class to teach women how to avoid violent situations. The program also gives women the tools they need to survive and escape physically violent situations should they be attacked. 

"Ninety percent of those that fall victim to sexual assault or attacks are women, so we want to concentrate on that demographic," said Cpl. Wallace Britton, Baton Rouge Police Training Instructor.

BRPD offers this self-defense class a few times a year to teach women about awareness.

"A lot of times we're busy," Britton said. "We have our cell phones, we have schedules to keep, things that are taking our attention from our environment. So, the main focus besides the actual techniques, is to be aware of your surroundings. Also, should somebody approach you, have the confidence to defend yourself and know what to do and not panic."

The class is for women ages 12 and up and is taught by certified law enforcement officers. There are four classes in total starting Monday, June 12th at 6 p.m.. You must attend all four classes which are on the following dates: June 12, 14, 19 & 21. Each class is from 6 to 9:00 pm.

If you're interested, you can sign up for the class here.