Washoe County commissioners said last week there wasn't much they could do to address the spike in deaths at the county jail, saying it was Sheriff Chuck Allen's responsibility.

State law, it turns out, has a different take: it's the county commission's job to look after not only the security of the facility, but the condition of the inmates there.

In fact, the law requires the commission to inspect the facility and "inquire into the...treatment and condition of the prisoners" every three months.

But it appears commissioners were unaware of the law and the county has no formalized process for making such inquiries.

"We took a look at that after you notified us," County Manager John Slaughter said in an interview Monday. "And...any kind of a formal program (for checking up on the inmates) is just not there at the moment."

That's not to say the commission overlooks the jail. Three county maintenance workers are stationed at the jail for building upkeep, Slaughter said. The commission also is in the process of approving funding to replace locks and the roof at the jail, as well as designing an expansion of the jail's infirmary.

Watch the Washoe County Commission April 25 meeting here:

Slaughter said he personally meets with Allen once a month to discuss issues with the jail. Those conversations, however, don't focus on the condition of the inmates, he said. Rather they mostly involve staffing issues and other jail needs.

Slaughter said the combination of staffing maintenance workers at the jail and having personal conversations with the sheriff fulfills the requirements of the law

A recent Reno Gazette-Journal investigation found the jail has experienced a 600 percent spike in deaths since Allen took office in 2015. The jail's death rate is nearly five times higher than the national average.

In the past two years, 11 inmates have died from suicide, fatal struggles with deputies and accidental deaths. Two people died from natural causes.

Slaughter said Allen notified him of the individual deaths when they occurred and Slaughter relayed the information to commissioners. But he said it never came up that the numbers had skyrocketed or that action needed to be taken to address the death rate.

"I don’t recall we had that conversation," Slaughter said.

Commissioner Kitty Jung said she was unaware of the statute. She remembers someone said early in her term that a commissioner was supposed to tour the jail once a year, but the commission never established a procedure for doing that.

"I think that if the state law says we are supposed to do it every quarter, we better get on it," she said.

But she added that she will continue to defer to Allen. State law designates the sheriff as the jail's custodian.

"But I’ll take as active a role as the sheriff and his team and the line staff need in helping to solve this issue," she said.

Commissioner Chairman Bob Lucey wasn't immediately available for an interview, but said he is willing to discuss the issue.

Former Sheriff Mike Haley, who served from 2006 to 2014, said he invited commissioners to take an annual tour of the jail and ask him questions about its operation.

"When I was sheriff, I informed them they had a responsibility — beyond the fiduciary responsibility — to inspect the jail," Haley said. "They would come in, walk through the jail, be given a tour, ask questions, have a meeting with me afterwards. We would talk about findings and talk about how we would resolve issues."

Slaughter said the commission will review what actions it can take in the wake of the RGJ's investigation. Jung said she will ask for the issue to be placed on the agenda of a future meeting for discussion.

Slaughter said he also will take a greater role in creating a new contract to provide medical services in the jail. The jail's current $5.9 million contract was awarded to Alabama-based NaphCare without a competitive bid process.

"It will be a very robust, very transparent process to select the next medical provider at the jail," Slaughter said.