SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — For a female San Diego college student like Angela, preparedness matters.
"You never know when it's gonna happen,” Angela said.
Even as violent crime trends downward locally, she still wants to feel ready for anything coming her way.
“I just want to know that I'm able to protect myself if anything were to happen,” Angela said.
According to the Major Cities Chief Association, San Diego homicides dropped 19% from 2024 to 2025, robberies fell 11% and aggravated assaults dipped 4%.
However, reports of rapes increased by 9%. On a national scale, most major cities saw declines across all those categories.
While overall statistics show progress, some women say peace of mind doesn’t automatically follow.
That’s something Victoria Teodoro, owner of Teodojo, says she’s been noticing. More women are signing up for her self-defense classes.
"It's only February and we had a lot of new students try out the classes and telling me their scenarios they've been through," Teodoro said.
In her monthly classes, students practice real-life scenarios using their bodies and their voices.
They're taught self-defense move that make these women feel ready for any situation.
“There's all kinds of scenarios in your daily life where you want to feel like you're able to be assertive and even if it's not physical, to still stand up for yourself and say "No" and protect yourself from the things that may or may not ever happen," Angela said.
