More Crime in Chattanooga According to New Study

     The report shows that crime is concentrated inside Chattanooga, but is growing at a faster rate in the surrounding counties.
     Last year, the city of Chattanooga accounted for a third of the area population, but 56 per cent of the property crimes and 60 per cent of violent crimes.
     From 2003 to 2007, violent crime increased nearly two per cent in the city but almost 42 per cent in the metro area.   

     The report also notes women are crime victims more than any other demographic.
    Black women are even more likely to become victims.
     WDEF News 12's Mandy Odom gets some tips from law enforcement about how women can keep from becoming a statistic
in our top local story.

     Chattanooga Police Captain Jeff Francis helps teach the RAD program or Rape Aggression Defense.
     He says 90-percent of what he teaches is to be aware of your surroundings and avoiding bad situations.

Francis: "we become such creatures of habit. We'll stop at the same gas station. We'll drive the same route never stopping to think if this is the safest."

     Camille Speer has gone through the program.
     She highly recommends saying it gave her more confidence.

Speer: "like most women walk around they look down at the ground. Like they don't look up and they're not very observant. They just, they're like okay i'm here. I don't want you to look at me and they just, that's how they like walk around. And it made me more aware of just looking up and trying to be aware and look people in the eye."

     Camille actually had to use her training recently while returning some movies late at night.

"so I looked at him and I told him no and then he kept coming and I told him to step away from me. I was like you need to back away from me now. And so he backed up kinda shocked and continued, got back in his truck."

     Francis hopes to prevent women from even getting in the situation.
     He says to stay away from situations involving alcohol and drugs.   
     Other things you can do is lock your car while driving or out and about.
     And don't keep valuables visible.
   
"if you're shopping there's no reason to carry a purse absolutely no reason. Most people they either need their plastic and their identification or their money and identification. You can put those two things in your pocket. that's one less problem."

      Francis also says if you notice something suspicious to call police or go to a place that's open 24-hours like a police or gas station.
     In Chattanooga, Mandy Odom WDEF News 12.