SPOKANE, Wash. -- Police claim the key to protecting yourself is knowing how to use self-defense tools properly.
There are many ways to defend yourself. A few of them include tasers, pepper spray and holding keys with your fist.
KREM 2 asked police if one is really better than another.
Police said each tool is different. So the key is to know how to use what you are carrying.
"Whatever tool you choose to carry for self defense, educate yourself on it so you know what it is capable of doing," said Spokane Police Officer John O'Brien.
There is a new self-defense tool called the Defense Alert Device, or D.A.D. It slips over the fingers. It can be used to punch someone. It also has pepper spray, a flashlight and panic button.
Police stress that nothing will work 100 percent of the time, so it is important to have a backup plan.
Here is what you can do:
- Fight back. Don't give up if someone attacks you.
- Make a lot of noise to draw attention to yourself.
- Call 911.
Police say you need to be aware of your surroundings and know how to protect yourself with whichever tool you choose.
"Practice if you can. Practice deploying or spraying your pepper spray before you use it," said O'Brien. "That can incapacitate somebody, but a lot of people can fight right through it."
The Spokane Police Department is holding a training opportunity in April. It will be at the SPD Academy from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on April 28.
The Spokane County Sheriff's Office is hosting its own an active shooter survival training session on Tuesday, April 10. It starts 6:30 p.m.
Admission to the training is free.
It will be in the West Valley High School auditorium at 8301 E. Buckeye Ave. Spokane, WA, 99212.