Tulsa County Deputies Give Free Self-Defense Training For Realtors

Tulsa area relators are learning to fight back and defend themselves if they are ever attacked.

Tulsa-based reality group HomeSmart TuCasa Realty, reached out to the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office to make sure relators, especially women, in their office felt safe.

"I want to be able to defend myself if somebody comes after me," said realtor Christi Marshall.

Marshall said in her career as a realtor, she's had a few instances where she was scared. She said she decided to attend the class to learn how to fight back.

"You hear these stories about realtors in other places, like at open houses we are taught to leave back door unlocked, don't go upstairs with them, and we hear these stories about women who are abducted and killed," she said.

The realtors learned moves that anyone can do, like punching and kicking, and also tips on how to stay safe to avoid an attack, like being aware of your surroundings.

"They have to go out and show houses, sometimes by themselves, they don't know who is really showing up, and there's been documented cases of murder in the past because of these types of situations," said Sheriff Vic Regalado.

Sheriff Vic Regalado said they've been doing self-defense classes like this one for seven years, and it's important for people to defend themselves before help can arrive.

"We always say safety and security is everyone's issue, you can't just depend on law enforcement to be there, you have to take some accountability in your own safety and security," he said.

HomeSmart Reality said 80 percent of their agents are women. They have to meet with strangers alone, so this is an important step in making sure they stay safe.

"Ladies, myself too, we get into situations where we may not know the person, and we need to know how to protect ourselves," said Tomas Barrientos.