Sheriff Joe Arpaio cuts back Christmas music at Phoenix jails following complaints

After receiving years of complaints from the 8,500 inmates in Phoenix jails, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has regretfully cut back around-the-clock Christmas music to only four hours a day.

Arpaio began blasting continuous Christmas music during the holiday season back in December 2005, and it became an annual tradition that only served to irritate inmates instead of filling them with holiday cheer.

The sheriff has resigned himself to only playing Christmas music -- which includes tunes from Andrea Bocelli, Elvis, Julio Iglesias and Alvin and the Chipmunks -- for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.

There are some interfaith songs for people of the Mormon and Jewish faiths as well as Agnostics.

The cutback on Christmas music hasn’t seemed to dampen Arpaio’s holiday spirit too severely.

[KPHO Phoenix]