Requests for the Tempe Police Department's personal-safety classes have significantly increased in the past two months, primarily due to the recent violence in the Valley, police said.
"We used to give the class about once a month," said Officer Jeff Lane of the Tempe police crime-prevention unit. "In the last two months, we have given the class once a week."
Phoenix police have also recently given personal-safety tips to the public through seminars in reaction to the "Serial Shooter" and "Baseline Killer" cases.
Valley residents should continue to practice good safety habits even though several suspects have been apprehended, said Sgt. Joel Tranter, a Phoenix police spokesman.
"By no means should anybody let their guard down," he said. "People should continue to use good common sense."
Tempe's class is about an hour long and focuses on personal safety at home, work, driving or walking, Lane said.
"It's a refresher course on how to be aware of your surroundings," he said.
Fingernails, a pencil and car keys can all be used as a weapon against an attacker, he said.
It is not a self-defense course, but a course reviewing good personal-safety habits, he said.
The Dennis J. Cahill Senior Center in Tempe requested a class originally to learn about identity theft but also benefited from the personal-safety information, said Aileen Schmieder, senior service leader.
"I was impressed," Schmieder said. "It is a wonderful community-service program."
The class had good information for the seniors on being aware of their immediate surroundings, Schmieder said.
She said the center would ask for another class around the holidays to provide tips on avoiding shoplifting and parking in safe areas.
Lane said the personal safety classes are offered to any group that wants them, including businesses, churches and schools.
They do not usually present the classes to ASU students, although they can request them, he added.
ASU police run a one-hour personal-safety class similar to the Tempe police class, said Stewart Adams, an ASU crime prevention specialist.
The class has been given about ten times this semester, and students or employees can request it by contacting ASU police, he said.
ASU police also offer a 12-hour self-defense class geared toward women, he said. The September class is nearly full, but it will be scheduled again later in the semester, he said.
Reach the reporter at jeffrey.mitchell@asu.edu
