Former cop Michael Arterburn, who’s spent 23 years as a detective specializing in domestic violence cases, knows a thing or two when it comes to staying safe. Even though he’s retired from law enforcement, he’s still protecting vulnerable people with helpful knowledge via his Killer Bee Tactical Instagram account.
Recently, a viewer had asked if Arterburn had any precautions women living alone should be taking, and the advice turned out to be helpful for another demographic: college students.
After all, thousands of break-ins happen in college dorms every year. Students living in off-campus apartments face an even higher rate of trespassing. And while most of these cases are “crimes of opportunity” to steal single high-value items like electronics, many are also far more sinister.
For many Gen Zers, these kinds of safety tips might not be in the forefront of their minds when embarking on a new chapter. Or, they might be less than inclined to spend money on something that seems unnecessary. However, Arterburn offers a variety of choices at different price points. Doing just one of these things could help prevent an attack.
Michael Arterburn’s at-home safety tips
First and foremost, Arterburn recommends equipping doors with items that make a lot of noise if an intruder enters the home.
For dorms or apartments that have sliding doors, that might look like a “dowel rod cut at a hardware store” laid it down on the track, says Arterburn.
A fancier alternative could be a door stopper gadget with an alarm on it, which can be especially useful if you live in a dorm room with multiple bedrooms leading to a common area.
You don’t have to spend a fortune
For the ultimate budget-friendly safety hack, Arterburn suggested purchasing a large pair of bat-up work boots from a thrift store and placing them outside the front door. This could suggest that a larger man lives in the residence and ward off predators, though he suggests bringing them inside once in a while to keep up the ruse.
For those who want an additional layer
Arterburn went on to list home-defense pepper gel and home-defense projectile launchers as easy-to-use must-haves. The pepper gel (around $37), for instance, sprays up to around 20 feet, but doesn’t linger in the air to cause coughing, while the projectile launchers ($154-$168) are powered by carbon dioxide and therefore aren’t considered firearms.
Ranging anywhere between $9-$30, Artburn also recommended travel-sized door wedge alarms, driveway alerts,24 solar-powered outdoor motion lights 20, Faraday bags for phones and key fobs (which can help deter car thieves), travel pepper gels, and personal alarms for solo runs and walks.
Hopefully this info remains “useless”
“We’re not trying to make [your home] Fort Knox,” reassured Artburn. Instead, these little obstructions make it more likely that an intruder will give up and move on.
Above all, Artburne hopes that all the information he provides is “useless and you never need it.” But such is the way with safety practices. You learn them, forget about them, and then are glad for them, should the moment ever come. And if the moment does indeed come, then spending that $5-$20 will seem well worth it.
Follow Killer Bee Tactical for even more of these helpful tips.
