SEX OFFENDER DATABASE WILL START UP TUESDAY.

Byline: Gloria Gonzales Daily News Staff Writer

The names of the 1,100 registered sex offenders living in Ventura County will be loaded into Sheriff's Department computers and made available to the public beginning Tuesday.

With a few keystrokes on the sheriff's CD-ROM database, a concerned parent could enter the name of a neighbor or a woman could enter an acquaintance's name and learn whether they've chatted with a registered sex offender.

``People can come and look up the names, ZIP codes and offenses,'' said Capt. Larry Reynolds of the Sheriff's Department.

Department records show that 22 sex offenders have registered and filed forms at the East County Sheriff's Station since Jan. 1. Those names, along with more than 100 offenders who previously registered, are listed on the database.

The information has been available since California's version of Megan's Law went into effect Jan. 1. However, the CD-ROM database gives the public much quicker and easier access to the information.

The law allows residents 18 and older with photo identification to search the database, which includes the offender's name, ZIP code and the penal code number and title for the offense. Addresses are not available. Everyone who uses the database must fill out paperwork as well.

``The law doesn't prohibit people from telling their neighbors about a sex offender on their block, but the law does prohibit harassment,'' Reynolds said. ``If they go out and picket in front of someone's home, is that harassment? What if a picket then bangs the person's car as he pulls out of the driveway?

``We're worried about situations like that, that put law enforcement in the position of arresting someone who is trying to protect children.''

Sheriff's Detective Cheryl Wade, who is educating groups about legal and law enforcement issues, said the most common offenses would likely be rape, child molestation, indecent exposure and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor - all categorized as ``serious'' offenses.

Offender who are violent are categorized as ``high risk.'' Because they are a transient population, the Sheriff's Department estimates that 11 to 13 high-risk sex offenders are registered in Ventura County at any given time.

The department expects demand for the database to be high during the first few months, and will likely limit reviews to 15 to 20 minutes.

``We are also expecting to be inundated with phone calls with people saying, `This guy's living next door; what are you going to do?' '' Wade said.

She said the Sheriff's Department, which had access to the records before Megan's Law was enacted, will continue to track offenders and assess their risk to neighbors.

Critics of the new law and the database worry that it encourages vigilantism and ultimately forces sex offenders into hiding, where police and parole officers lose the ability to track them.

``There are number of problems with the law and with the CD-ROM,'' said Elizabeth Schroeder of the Southern California Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. ``One of the unintended consequences is that offenders are hounded into moving. They lose jobs; they lose homes. They end up believing that the only way to lead a stable life is to not register - then we lose that person.''

Critics point out that for this reason, the database is not complete. In March, 13,600 sex offenders in California - more than one-sixth - had broken the law by failing to register.