After a week in a waste bin to promote crime awareness, retired police officer Doug Arp arrived at the Warren County Courthouse Tuesday amid a flurry of lights, sirens and cheers.

Arp, who spent seven nights in the Dumpster at Culkin and Freetown roads to raise awareness for the National Night Out theme, “Don’t let crime trash your neighborhood,” said it had been hot and he wasn’t sure he smelled all that great – but he wouldn’t change a thing.

“If I had known I was going to have this amount of outpouring of support, I would’ve done this long ago,” Arp said. The veteran of the Vicksburg Police Department performed stunts for a decade, but stopped when he retired seven years ago. The resumption was for the national campaign’s 25th anniversary.

Concern for his well-being was appreciated, he said. “Even when that big storm came through… (Sheriff) Martin (Pace) called me at like 4 in the morning or something and asked, ‘Are you OK?’ and I said I would be fine if they’d just leave me alone and let me sleep.”

National Night Out is a crime prevention event that encourages people to get to know their neighbors through cookouts and block parties.

In honor of the event, sheriff’s deputies patrolled the county on foot, just as they did 50 years ago, Pace said.

“This is the first year we’ve sponsored Arp, and all of this has really been a regionwide effort,” Pace said. “We even called in extra men to participate in the walk through the county.”

The Vicksburg Police Department held a “walk against crime” from City Park Pavilion to Bowmar Avenue and back that featured McGruff the Crime Dog. The department also sponsored games and had door prizes and music for attendees.

“The whole emphasis is crime awareness,” said Vicksburg Police Chief Tommy Moffett. “It’s just a once-a-year thing, but it goes hand-in-hand with our efforts all year.”

In previous stunts, Arp has spent weeks perched on billboards, in underground chambers, in the fountain at Pemberton Square and in a patrol car hoisted aloft. He used vacation time for his efforts.