Audio By Carbonatix
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says oppressive heat has prompted him to briefly “cool it” on the whole tough-guy thing when handling inmates in his Tent City jail — and, of course, he wants the world to know.
With temperatures expected to reach nearly 120 degrees this weekend, Arpaio’s apparently concerned that Tent City inmates will be uncomfortable, or die, from heat-related injuries and sue the MCSO.
His solution: a truck full of ice.
Starting about 1 p.m. tomorrow, the sheriff will bring a box truck filled with bags of ice to the tents for inmates to use to cool off.
When news happens, Phoenix New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
The sheriff will “permit” the inmates to sit on the bags if it helps keep them cool.
“The air temperature may be around 120 degrees, but it’s even hotter in the canvas Tent City,” Arpaio says in his press release. “It’s been fortunate since I opened the tents in August 1993 to never have had a serious heat related health issue. We’re not going to have with one this year either, if I can help it.”
There’s another way to decrease the potential for heat-related health issues — and the lawsuits that would certainly follow — that the sheriff apparently has overlooked: don’t leave potential lawsuit plaintiffs outside in tents in the middle of the summer in Phoenix, Arizona.
