SEX OFFENDER LISTING GROWS; VENTURA COUNTY'S DATABASE ADDS 64.Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer In the year since law enforcement officials made available a computerized database listing thousands of sex offenders living in California, 64 more sex offenders have registered in Ventura County. The number of serious sex offenders registered in the county jumped from 995 to 1,063 since July 1, 1997, while the number of offenders judged to be ``high-risk'' remained level at 17. And while public interest was high at the onset, the number of residents who stop by a sheriff's or police station to view the CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). database has waned to just a few each week. Still, both law enforcement officials and local residents praise the availability of information on sexual criminals, which they say has helped deter repeat offenses and offered residents information about their surroundings. ``The beauty of the CD-ROM is that these people know we're looking at them,'' said Ventura sheriff's Sgt. Dave Williams Dave Williams may refer to:
The computerized information was made available by the state Department of Justice to comply with the state version of a federal law enacted after the death of 7-year-old Megan Kanka, the New Jersey girl who was molested mo·lest tr.v. mo·lest·ed, mo·lest·ing, mo·lests 1. To disturb, interfere with, or annoy. 2. To subject to unwanted or improper sexual activity. and killed by a neighbor, a previously convicted sex offender. Serious and high-risk offenders are logged by name, age, ZIP code zip code System of postal-zone codes (zip stands for “zone improvement plan”) introduced in the U.S. in 1963 to improve mail delivery and exploit electronic reading and sorting capabilities. and criminal history on the database for public viewing. Photos are included for many entries, including all the high-risk offenders, and offenders are required by law to register with the database each year. Serious sex offenders have committed such crimes as rape, assault with intent to commit a sex offense, sodomy sodomy Noncoital carnal copulation. Sodomy is a crime in some jurisdictions. Some sodomy laws, particularly in Middle Eastern countries and those jurisdictions observing Shari'ah law, provide penalties as severe as life imprisonment for homosexual intercourse, even if the , lewd conduct with a child or dependent adult, oral copulation copulation /cop·u·la·tion/ (kop?u-la´shun) sexual union; the transfer of the sperm from male to female; usually applied to the mating process in nonhuman animals. cop·u·la·tion n. 1. , sex abuse of a child, kidnapping with intent to commit a sex offense, foreign object penetration, felony sexual battery and abduction Abduction Balfour, David expecting inheritance, kidnapped by uncle. [Br. Lit.: Kidnapped] Bertram, Henry kidnapped at age five; taken from Scotland. [Br. Lit. of a child for purposes of prostitution Sex offenders are labeled high-risk if they have committed multiple serious acts or are violent. In Ventura County, nearly every community showed increases in offenders living in the area. The largest concentration was in Oxnard, where five high-risk offenders and 255 serious offenders make their homes. In the east county area, Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. continued to have one high-risk offender and the largest local concentration of serious offenders - 104. Last year, there were 91 serious offenders in what is touted as one of the nation's safest cities. Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. - another safe-city frontrunner - showed 44 serious offenders, up from 40 a year earlier; Moorpark has 23 registered currently compared with 21 last July. ``There's a ton more,'' said Williams, who said he was surprised more residents don't stop in to review the information. ``You'd think at the beginning of every season there'd be a carload carload In commodities trading, a railroad car or truckload of grain that ranges from 1,400 to 2,500 bushels. of people coming down here,'' he said. ``I don't see that happening.'' The main sheriff's office reports that 253 people have viewed the database during the year, while about 300 have stopped in at the Ventura Police Department, which has five terminals for viewing. The East County Sheriff's Station reports that only a handful of people come in every week to view the database. Parents and local officials offered a range of reasons why some people continue to access the information while others have yet to log on, but most say it will continue to carry an interest for those trying to keep an eye on to watch. - Shak. See also: Eye their community. ``If someone has a question about a soccer coach (or) church leader, it gives them the opportunity to review possible bad guys,'' said Ventura city police Lt. Carl Handy. ``It's a comfort zone thing for people.'' Simi Valley PTA PTA or parent-teacher association: see parent education. mom Sandy Barnett had no idea residents like her have been trooping down to the local Sheriff's Department for the past year to research information on sex offenders living in the community. But she can't wait to tell others about the service that has drawn hundreds of viewers to scroll the new database over the past year. ``I think that would be very, very beneficial for the average parent . . . who wanted to make sure when they put their kind on a team, to make sure the coach is OK,'' Barnett said. ``Jeez jeez interj. Used to express surprise or annoyance. [Alteration of Jesus1.] , I can think of just a whole slew of things . . . Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts Girl Scouts, recreational and service organization founded (1912) in Savannah, Ga., by Mrs. Juliette Gordon Low (1860–1927). It was originally modeled after the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, organizations created in Great Britain by Sir Robert Baden-Powell during . . . . Heck, you could even use it for your neighbors.'' LOCAL SEX OFFENDERS BY ZIP CODE According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the state Department of Justice database, registered sex offenders have increased throughout Ventura County since last July 1, with serious offenders increasing from 995 to 1,063 and high-risk offenders remaining at 17. Here are the number of offenders registered in local communities: City & ZIP Code 1998 1997 Agoura/Oak Park 91301 10 12 Calabasas 91302 0 4 Camarillo 93010 43 37 93012 9 9 Fillmore 93015 22 20 Moorpark 93021 23 21 Newbury Park 91320 23 22 Oakview 93022 8 5 Ojai 93023 26 22 Piru 93040 4 3 Santa Paula 93060 40 37 Simi Valley 93063 45 38 93065 60 54 Somis 93066 0 1 Thousand Oaks 91360 26 25 91362 18 15 CAPTION(S): Box BOX: LOCAL SEX OFFENDERS BY ZIP CODE (See text) |
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