Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Hosts Self Defense Class For Realtors

When realtors show houses, they never know what to expect. That's why it's important to know how to protect yourself in case you come across a dangerous situation.

The first day on the job for Gabriela Chavez is what led her to take the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office self-defense class.

"I was excited. I showed up to the house," she said. 

She's a realtor, and someone broke into the home she was showing. "First person said, 'Why is this person here?', I said 'Are you not together?', no they're not. The window was broken in the home I was into, third person came in," said Chavez. 

She's been in the business for six and a half years, but in that moment, knew she needed to learn how to protect herself. "Right after that, I said no, I need to do something about this because I can't put myself in this position, and that was my very first experience showing a home as a realtor, so from there, you can only learn from that lesson," she said. 

Deputy Ricardo Vaca has taught self-defense for 11 years.

"Going to show homes themselves, it's very important to at least have a little bit of knowledge on how to defend yourself if you're alone," he said. 

Chavez and Deputy Vaca said classes like this shouldn't be a one-time thing.

"Just because we go to an event once a year, that's not going to protect us because we're not going to learn enough," said Chavez. 

Consistency is key to making sure they understand how to stay safe.

"If we are consistent in educating ourselves and evolving in our protection, we're all going to come home at the end of the day," Chavez said. 

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office hopes to hold this class again next year and encourages everyone to learn how to protect themselves.