Add The New York Post on Google This retired cop’s offering safety knowledge to Gen Zs headed to college.
Michael Arterburn, a former domestic violence detective of 23 years, is schooling young adults on the useful tips, tricks and tools that could save their lives during a violent attack, sexual assault or home invasion while on campus.
“As a retired cop who’s interviewed hundreds of people who’ve committed [sexual assault], I can answer that question,” said Arterburn, known as Killer Bee Tactical to his combined 3.4 million social media fans, responding to a female fan’s plea for protection advice with a recommendation video.
“And given that college is starting up again, these aren’t bad ideas,” continued the ex-officer before sharing his top security measures for women and men ahead of move-in day 2026.
“Your dorm or apartment probably has a sliding glass door; measure the length and have a dowel rod cut at a hardware store — lay it down on the track,” Arterburn urged as his top suggestion. “We’re not trying to make [your home] Fort Knox. We’re trying to make it so [intruders] have to make a lot of noise to get in.”
“Don’t be the Idaho 4,” he warned, referring to the heinous November 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
The crime stopper then encouraged Gen Zers to invest in door braces that come equipped with alarms, promoting the devices as “easy to use” gadgets that can double as a sliding door stopper.
For college newbies on a budget, Arterburn suggested patronizing a local thrift store and purchasing a large pair of old, worn work boots to be strategically placed outside of an apartment or dorm’s front door. The tattered footwear is meant to imply the presence of a burly man on the premises, and scare off potential intruders, said the pro.
Arterburn went on to endorse home-defense pepper gel and home-defense projectile launchers as key safety must-haves, explaining that the pepper gel sprays up to an approximate 20-foot distance with chemicals that don’t linger in the air, and the projectile launchers are powered by carbon dioxide and aren’t considered firearms.
Door wedge alarms, driveway alerts, solar-powered outdoor motion lights, faraday bags for phones and key fobs, travel pepper gels and personal alarms completed Arterburn’s list of vital vigilance strategies.
View this post on Instagram His how-to’s nearly echo those of Jennifer Gomez, a reformed cat burglar, who recently revealed her hot takes for avoiding bad guys while out in public. The brunette’s safety pointers came just after she shared the do’s and don’t’s of home safeguarding during the holidays.
“Please keep your head on a swivel, looking around, making direct eye contact with anyone who makes you feel that they’re not right,” Gomez implored in an online post. “Do not be distracted. Not with your bags, looking in your purse, with kiddos.”
“You re the first line of defense for your family when you are out in public,” she insisted. “You have to be aware.”
