Police, boxing gym offer advice for joggers to stay safe

The murder of Mollie Tibbetts has created a lot of concerns, especially among women, about safety while out in public. The criminal complaints in Tibbetts' case say the suspect followed her and he became angry when she was going to call 911.

It's something a boxing gym in Iowa City told TV-9, is part of the reason women are scared, they want to know what to do if they're out running and in her shoes. Even Iowa City police say they've gotten calls, too.

"If you're in that type of situation, fight for your life and don't give up until you win," said Iowa City Police Officer Ashten Hayes.

Hayes said, as an avid runner, she knows what it's like to be outside, by yourself and worried about your surroundings.

"You don't know if there's something coming up from a ditch," said Hayes.

As a trained fighter, though, she said there's some simple things anybody can do to stay safe. To start off, take off your headphones and put away your cell phone.

"Just being out by yourself, people need to be off their phones," said Hayes. "Everybody's heads are down these days and they need to be up paying attention. Who's around us? Where are our exits? What can we do?"

If you have a weapon, whether it's pepper spray or a knife, Officer Hayes said you need to be sure you actually know how to use it.

"No matter what you carry is only as effective as how you train with it," said Hayes. "If you carry something and you've never used it before, it's not going to become effective if you need to use it in a severe situation. You're going to come down to use motor skills and not know how to operate what your safety tool is."

If you're against carrying an actual weapon, TITLE boxing said they hold safety seminars to learn self defense with just your fists.

"There is a heightened awareness right now because of that unfortunate event with Mollie," said TITLE Boxing Instructor Omar Hamza.

Hamza said people have been contacting them much more now.

"This is something that is an issue for personal safety for young women in Iowa and everyone as well," said Hamza.

Whether you're outside jogging or inside in an uncomfortable social situation, Officer Hayes says scream, hit and be prepared for the unexpected.

If you have an iPhone and find yourself in a situation where you need help, you can hold the side button and either volume button down to get ahold of authorities. A countdown begins to call emergency SOS or you can swipe right to call them immediately.