COLUMBUS (WCMH)–More than a dozen female police officers from around Ohio are going through advanced training to protect themselves and the subjects they deal with daily on the streets.

A Columbus police training officer said that pound for pound, female officers don’t have the same strength as their male counterparts. He said advanced training highlights other advantages they do have.

“With our female officers, we have gotten real good at reading people, and reading ‘is this tactic or technique going to work?'” said Officer Catherine Kirk, a Columbus Police training officer. “It is not always the physical tactic. It is, ‘I have to play the mother role or the school teacher role,’ because that plays on their stereotypes but sometimes it is very effective.”

If talk and verbal commands don’t work, Officer Kirk says female officers train for speed.

“They go, ‘oh, it’s a female cop, she is not going to go after me,’ and they are often times surprised by the speed of the which the defensive tactic comes from a female officer. They may not be expecting it,” Kirk said.

The city of Kent has four female officers, one female superviser, and a female chief. Officer Lindsey Llewellyn she often deals with subjects bigger than her.

“A lot of people I deal with are bigger than me (and) stronger than me, which can be a problem for any officer,” said Llewellyn.

Trainers said techniques taught here could save both the officer and subject’s life.

“Using momentum and others’ momentum or body weight against them is how you can take advantage of a larger assailant,” Llewellyn said.

Wednesday was day two of the three-day advanced training for female officers at Columbus Police Training Academy.