Cleveland-Area Police Department Offers Self-Defense Course for EMS

In the wake of a Cleveland, Ohio EMS worker being dragged by her hair (and a second assaulted) by a patient on Nov. 15, 2025, a local police department is offering EMS professionals a free self-defense training class.

Cleveland’s University Circle Police Department will be hosting the self-defense class on Dec. 15, 2025. It will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the UCPD’s training facility at 12100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. The self-defense class is open to EMTs, paramedics, and crisis intervention specialists throughout the Cleveland area.

“After I heard about the November 15th assault, which was inflicted on two EMS personnel responding to a possible drug overdose call, I decided that the Cleveland first responder community has to get ahead of this problem,” said UCPD Chief Thomas Wetzel. “I heard that Cleveland EMS was trying to get some self-defense training for their staff. Well, we’ve got an excellent instructor in our police department who can help, at a time when assaults on EMS workers have been rising steadily in our region.”

UCPD Officer Jeremy Prokop is the instructor. He is a federally certified trainer in defensive tactics and the owner of two Cleveland-area Jiu-Jitsu schools.

“The main focus of our one-day class for EMS workers is to enhance their safety and confidence while improving patient care,” Prokop told EMS World. “A big part of this is situational awareness so that we can prevent assaults before they occur. As a first responder, we can get so locked into patient care that we miss the cues right in front of us. If your patient is agitated, clenching their fists, or pacing back and forth while making eye contact, these are signs that they may become violent. Oftentimes, they even say out loud that they’re going to do so, yet we miss it.”

To cope with signs of impending violence, EMS personnel will be taught how to deescalate the situation. “That's obviously first and foremost what you want to do,” said Prokop. “When it comes to EMTs and paramedics, they could take an empathetic approach to the patient using their voice and body language, while using their eyes to look for red flags. Both things can be done at once to help protect themselves but also keep the patient safe.”

Because violence cannot always be avoided, the UCPD self-defense class will also teach a number of defensive tactics to EMS workers. “The first one is a punch safety block,” Prokop said. “It focuses on protecting your jawline and your mandibular nerve by taking your forearms and putting them over your head to protect your head. You're going to use your forearms like a ram to block that punch and then get into a position of advantage by stepping offline and reevaluating the situation.”

Another defensive tactic will counter what is known as the Mount Position. This is where the victim is on their back on the ground while the attacker sits on top of them, straddling their hips to keep the victim pinned. “This is a very common position in street fighting,” Prokop said. “We’ll teach our students how to get out of that position safely, effectively, and fast — and then to run away to get away from that situation. Self-defense is our focus in this class: We want to teach EMS personnel how to deescalate situations, defend themselves, if need be, and then escape from danger.”
“Our main goal is for first responders to get out of violent situations safely,” Wetzel said. “This is quite a change of perspective for EMS personnel, who joined up to help people rather than to confront them. We’re planning to do a similar course for nurses, nursing assistants/aides and nursing students on Jan. 21, 2026, to equip them with the same sort of skills but tailored to their working environments.”

To sign up for the UCPD self-defense class for EMS workers in the Cleveland area, go to www.universitycircle.org/about-us/services/university-circle-police-department.