text: The sheriff’s office said it was not aware of the off-duty party — which took place earlier this month — until this news organization asked about it this week, and that it was reviewing the event.
  In images posted on Facebook, at least three Santa Clara County correctional deputies are shown attending a Dec. 6 party indoors with little to no mask wearing or social distancing, and where partygoers shared a beer bong. The sheriff's office said it is looking into the event (Facebook)
  “As a law enforcement agency, we expect our staff to hold themselves and each other to a higher standard and take the recommendations and guidelines set forth by public health officials seriously,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “The behavior depicted in the Facebook post in question are not representative of these expectations or the agency as a whole. If in fact they are sheriff’s deputies, they are expected to adhere to public health guidance as well as conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times, whether on or off-duty. The matter is being looked into.”
  Multiple sources confirmed several attendees are jail deputies or supervisors. Images of the Dec. 6 party were posted with no privacy settings, meaning anyone with a Facebook account could have viewed the more than 30 photos and videos posted on a jail deputy’s profile, registered under an alias. The photos suggest that well over three households — the pre-lockdown gathering limit advised by state health officials — were at the party.
  “It’s infuriating,” said Raj Jayadev, co-founder of Silicon Valley De-Bug, which provides an array of support services for jailed defendants and their families. “Seeing those pictures and then also getting calls from families who are in tears and unsure if their loved one inside who caught COVID is going to survive. It’s more than irresponsibility, it’s an intentional disregard for the basic dignity of people. COVID is not born within the walls of the jails, it’s brought in.”
  Correctional deputies account for close to two-thirds of the 117 recorded COVID-19 cases since March involving sheriff’s office staff, as reported on its public online dashboard. As of Wednesday, 19 correctional deputies were listed with active infections, alongside 11 patrol deputies and five civilian employees.
  Since Dec. 1, the number of active staff cases rose from 10 to 36. But since the staff section of the dashboard only charts daily changes in active cases, the jump could be higher. That’s because the active count is not a cumulative figure, which could mask an increase if it’s offset by people coming off infection.
  On Dec. 1, there were three reported active COVID-19 cases among inmates in the county jails, which consist of the Main Jail in San Jose and the Elmwood Correctional Complex in Milpitas. As of Wednesday, there were 33 active cases among people in custody, 28 in the Main Jail and five in Elmwood.
  Nearly all of the active cases in the Main Jail are from an outbreak in the 7B wing. Those infected were transferred to the jail’s medical wing, and all men housed in 7B are being tested. Officials said they reduced groupings for out-of-cell time, and are giving inmates additional cleaning supplies and covers for when they use the phones. In-person visitation has been suspended.