Vicksburg, Warren County and law enforcement lost a great friend in Doug Arp.

Doug died Monday, creating a void that I don’t believe will ever be filled. Many people, I’m sure, will remember him for the stunts he held to draw attention to the annual National Night Out events in the city and county that were aimed at crime prevention by urging neighbors to get out and meet each other and promoting Neighborhood Watch programs.

There’s a story about Doug in today’s paper that will include comments from people who knew him and worked with him, both in his capacity as a police officer and as a spokesman for National Night Out. I have a few recollections of my own.

I first met Doug soon after I came here in 2011 when I interviewed him during one of his projects to promote National Night Out. I must admit that I wondered about this tall, slim man with the loud (to me) voice who was rapidly commenting on different aspects of the Night Out program and crime prevention. One thing that struck me was his enthusiasm for the program and for crime prevention, and my initial impression of him changed as I got to know him.

Over the years, as I worked with Doug on stories for National Night Out, I was impressed with his deep respect for law enforcement officers and veterans. He used to commend me for my Veterans Day and Memorial Day columns where I paid my respects to veterans, at times mentioning my parents who were both veterans. It was only recently that I learned his father was in the military.

More recently, Doug was involved in a project that I believe only he could do — going back in time to locate police officers killed in the line of duty, finding their graves and marking them. These were men who gave their lives in the late 1800s and early 20th century and had somehow been forgotten over time; men who made the ultimate sacrifice and fell through the cracks of time.

Doug made it a crusade to find these people and he did it with little fanfare outside of a small article in The Post and a photo, and I believe he did it to recognize the officer. When he found someone and prepared to have the marker installed, he would call me up and tell me about the discovery in that enthusiastic voice and give me the date, time and where the marker would be laid.

It’s saddening to know that I will never hear that voice over the phone again or see him in that big hat he occasionally wore. I’ll miss his occasional visits to the paper when he would drop off something for National Night Out or tell me he was researching the name of an officer killed in the line of duty.

I have lost a friend and so has this city, although I don’t believe many folks will realize what they’ve lost. And I hope that someone will follow Doug to locate and identify those unknown officers who died in the line of duty.

Rest in peace, Doug. You’ve earned the rest.