The Police Department will be running a three-day training session this week to teach women how to avoid dangerous situations and to physically ward off an attacker. The training sessions are popular - the classes already have reached their size limit of 16. “We teach this class a couple of times a year,” said Chief John Moore, who will be teaching the class along with Officer Ciara Ryan. “Students tend to be young women about to head off to college, or already in college, or women who work in the city, where they might run into tougher situations than usual.” Moore said the first two days focus on physical self-defense and lectures on risk avoidance, but the third day puts all the training to the test. Students don martial arts-style pads and gloves to face an attacker - a police officer dressed in even more padding to withstand a furious defense, Moore said. “It’s a good chance to use their training,” the chief said. The Rape Aggression Defense Program, sponsored through a $2,500 grant from the Metrowest Women’s Alliance, is free for women 16 and older, and runs tomorrow, Tuesday and Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Flagg Building. For more information, contact Ryan at ryan@hollistonpolice.com. -Jose Martinez