What do burglars most commonly steal? What’s the best way to keep your house safe while you’re out of town? If a crime plays out before you, will you be a good witness?

Those questions, among a few dozen others, flashed across the screen Monday night at the first meeting of this month’s women’s defense class at the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office.  Investigator John Cowan and K-9 Officer Chris Stricklin led the sessions, which aim to prepare women for dangerous or criminal situations.

“These are just things all women should know,” Concordia Parish Chief Deputy David Hedrick said, “how to deal with dangerous situations.”

The sheriff’s office holds a women’s defense class every other month, with four-hour classes on each Monday of the month.

The class is free, but the booklets for the class are $25. The class teaches self-defense — escape tactics, how to ward off an assault — as well as home security and other skills.

Classes two through four are focused on physical maneuvers to protect oneself, but the first class, Cowan said, is often the most boring, but perhaps also the most important.

“You have to learn what the laws are,” Cowan said, “and what your rights are as a citizen.”

This first class is so important, Cowan said, because it is focused on preventing crime as opposed to responding to it. 

“Knowing how to protect your house and your family allows you to prevent the interaction, the attack,” Cowan said.

For some time, the dozen attendees scribbled notes about the difference between a burglary and a robbery or between different security systems.

Other talking points covered national crime statistics, and what attendees can learn from them.  “What makes an object more appealing to potential thieves?” Cowan asked. He paused before answering himself: “Crave.”

CRAVE is an acronym, Cowan explained, for concealable, removable, accessible, valuable and entertaining.

Objects — TVs, jewelry, security systems and a thousand other examples like it — that fit this description are easily and often stolen.

“Will you use every single thing you learn here?” Hedrick said. “No. But if you use one to two things from this lesson, we’ve done our job.”

Later this month, Cowan and Stricklin will roll out red, cushioned mats and attendees will learn how to defend themselves.

“There are four levels, each one a little harder than the last,” Cowan said. “Anyone can do level one, so we can train anyone to defend themselves.”

Anyone interested in the class, Cowan said, can contact the sheriff’s office at 318-336-5231 or register on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.