If anyone can quickly gain the attention of a group of elementary school children it’s a husky police officer. But last week at the Village School gymnasium a small group of fourth and fifth graders broke into giggles at the sight of West Windsor Officer Tom Moody, who waddled out on floor dressed in a bulky “redman” suit complete with full body protection.
But beneath the comic-like suit was a serious purpose: Moody was aiding West Windsor Sergeant Bill Bastedo in a R.A.D. Kids self-defense class, teaching the children how to protect themselves against strangers and predators.
“It’s very rewarding to get out of the office and do something physical and do something with the kids,” said Bastedo, who is the class’s lead instructor, who also wore the redman suit during drills with the kids. “It’s worthwhile.”
The free R.A.D. (Resisting Aggression Defense) class consisted of 19 nine and ten-year-olds who learned self defense moves, anti-abduction tips, and other safety lessons during five classes of two hours each. “They learn blocks, they learn kicks, they learn to use their knees,” Bastedo said.
Aside from the physical education, part of the class also takes place in the actual classroom, where students also learn about water safety, Internet safety, phone safety, vehicle safety, school bullying, and tips to protect them at the school bus stop and when they are out in public.
“When we went into the schools to get this in, the big selling point was the classroom part, even though the physical stuff is also very important,” Bastedo said. The program is made possible by the collaboration of three organizations — the West Windsor police, the WW-P community education program, and the community education and outreach department at Princeton Healthcare System.
The children were reviewing their skills on January 3, their last day of class, and the day they would receive their graduating certificates. Bastedo and Moody put on the padded suits and had the kids one-by-one walk out onto the mats, where the officers would pretend to be strangers and predators trying to lure the kids and kidnap them.
The scenes played out as if the children were getting out of school. Bastedo and Moody took turns coming up with different excuses as to why the students should go with them, including, “Your mommy told me to come pick you up from school.” The children responded by asking them for a password — a lesson from the class that advises children to create a password system with their families so they know whoever is to pick them up should know the code.
When the officers came up with incorrect passwords, the students shouted, “Your not my daddy!” as loud as they could and used a combination of head butts, punches, kicks, and other moves to break free and run to a safe person to alert them to what was going on.
“The rule of context is you stop it and you run away,” Bastedo said. “The idea is to escape.”
The kids are taught to remember three rules, including that no one has the right to hurt them because they are special and that they don’t have the right to hurt anybody else, unless someone is trying to physically hurt them. Then, they have the right to stop them, and r.a.d.Kids learn how to stop anyone who tries to hurt them. They are also taught that if anyone has hurt them or tries to hurt them, it is not their fault, but rather it’s that person’s fault for hurting them. And for that reason, they can tell someone else what happened.
Last year Bastedo and other officers who assist him attended three days of training in Washington Township so they could teach the class in West Windsor. “You actually get trained as if you’re a student,” Bastedo said.
Aside from the most recent graduating class, the officers also taught a course in May. They alternate locations between Grover Middle and Village schools, and are planning to hold “quite a few” this year in continued collaboration with WW-P Community Education.
Bastedo said the children will see they can actually defend themselves, and teaches them that if they are or have been victims of molestation, that they will disclose that information to an adult they trust. “It gives them a sense of empowerment, that they’re not helpless,” he said. — Cara Latham
The next R.A.D. class will be at Grover Middle School for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders beginning Thursday, January 17. Residents interested in having their children take this class or want more information should contact WW-P Community Education at 609-716-5000, ext. 5630, or Community Policing at 609-799-0452.
