Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio celebrated the 23rd anniversary of the opening of Tent City on August 3. Cake was served to guards and inmates at the ceremony.
“23 years and counting,” said Sheriff Arpaio. “I am looking forward, in a couple of years, to our 25th anniversary. But this one is special too, because they said it would never pass scrutiny and here we are, all these years later, still going strong.”
Through the years, four presidential candidates have visited the facility: Kansas Senator Bob Dole, California Governor Pete Wilson, Texas Senator Phil Graham and Arizona Senator John McCain. Just a few months ago, the wife of another presidential candidate paid a visit. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator from Vermont, made national news while speaking of Jane Sanders’ visit in March, which included Sheriff Arpaio being her personal tour guide.
Sheriff Arpaio had Tent City Jail built soon after he took office in 1993. Many remember that at the time jails were overflowing and there was talk of releasing prisoners to relieve the situation. Tent City Jail helped to solve the problem, as it can hold up to 2000 inmates, and at the same time saved the taxpayers the cost of constructing a brick and mortar facility that estimates pegged at nearly $50 million. Today, the construction of a hardened jail would cost $100 million.
Sheriff Arpaio, who joined the U.S. Army when the Korean War broke out, ordered that prisoner’s uniforms, including those housed in Tent City Jail, will be affixed with an American flag as display of patriotism. In fact, military veteran inmates in the jail system distributed the new uniforms to their fellow inmates. At the recent RNC and DNC political conventions, the Sheriff was incensed to see protesters burning our nation’s flag in the streets. “As an Army veteran, I am saddened when people burn the American flag. I understand First Amendment Rights, but that is my opinion.”
When asked about complaints about Tent City Jail being too hot during the summer, Sheriff Arpaio has often said that if our men and women fighting for our country overseas can withstand living in tents in tough environments, then the convicted inmates can too.
Over the more than two decades of its existence, Tent City Jail has seen few disturbances and no serious heat related health issues. Temperatures in the tents have reached as high as 130 degrees. Since 1993, 2,674,281 inmates have been housed in all seven jail facilities operated by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.