Warren County, the home of retired police officer Doug Arp and his “nutty” antics to draw attention to fighting crime, has been named a national award winner for outstanding participation in the 26th annual National Night Out Against Crime.

“I’m very proud of the citizens of Warren County for participating in our night out crime prevention efforts,” said Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace, whose department has sponsored Arp for the past few years.

The goal of the weeklong campaign in early August is to draw neighbors to meet each other and law enforcement officers while learning how property can be safeguarded through teamwork.

This year, Warren County was in the top 1 percent of 14,625 communities across the United States with about 36.7 million people participating.

In a statement released last week, National Project Coordinator Matt Peskin congratulated the county “for being selected among the nation’s best.”

Pace said he gives the credit to residents of the county who supported the campaign.

This year, Arp lived in a Mississippi Materials Corp. concrete truck parked at the Culkin Fire Department on Freetown and Culkin roads. Residents called or stopped by to visit with the 58-year-old who over the years has also spent a week on a billboard, in a trash receptacle, in a water fountain, underground, in a phone booth, in an elevated patrol car, in an armored vehicle and in a wrecked car to promote the crime fight.

For next year, Arp said he has been thinking about trying out an aerial balloon, being inside a block of ice or a water tower, and he’s also taking suggestions.

“I would like to go back to the billboard, but I don’t know,” said Arp. “I’m running out of nutty ideas.”

Award winners will be featured on the National Association of Town Watch Web site.

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Contact Tish Butts at tbutts@vicksburgpost.com