SEX OFFENDERS: CLOSE TO YOU? 3-WEEK-OLD LOCATOR WEB SITE GETS 1 MILLION LOOKS.

Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer

More than a million ``hits'' have been recorded on Los Angeles County's 3-week-old Web site showing where nearly 21,300 registered sex offenders live, including 1,505 in the San Fernando Valley.

Accessible 24 hours a day at www.lacounty.info, the Web site shows the locations by blocks of serious and high-risk offenders and their proximity to schools and parks. The site is designed to work in conjunction with the Megan's Law database, available at local sheriff's stations, which provides more detailed information on specific offenders.

Law enforcement officers are encouraged by a stream of public inquiries since the Web site was launched Sept. 6 after a violent summer of abductions and child killings across the nation.

``They are asking, How do I protect my kid? Can you come talk to my classroom?'' said sheriff's Sgt. Dan Scott, who heads the county Sheriff's Department's Family Crimes Bureau.

Authorities say they are doing everything they can to track the county's registered sex offenders and that a key element is the public's awareness of the areas where they live.

``We're mindful of their existence in the community. We keep them in a pool as suspects that we should look for as predators and suspects in reported sex crimes,'' said Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Michel Moore. ``There is certainly a potential for crimes to be committed by registered sex offenders in the future.''

Before this summer, the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff's station in Agoura Hills reported only a couple of residents a week requesting access to their Megan's Law database, named for a New Jersey girl killed by a paroled sex offender who had moved into her neighborhood in 1994.

Today, about 10 people a day are asking to use it.

``It's gone up, definitely,'' police dispatcher Annmargaret Canales said as she rifled through the log. ``It's in the media more, and people are concerned.''

Once released from prison, sex offenders are tracked by the state Parole Board, and also are required to register with their local law enforcement agency.

Determining the community in which paroled sex offenders is released is up to local law enforcement officers. Parole agents place the offender in a hotel or an apartment away from a school if that individual was convicted on a child-molestation charge. Many move back into their old neighborhoods.

``A lot of them come out and already have a residence,'' said Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections. ``Usually they return to the county of last residence.''

Dempsey, the 35-year-old mother of a 4-year-old girl, said she has mixed feelings about the information available on the new Web site.

``Part of me wants to know,'' Dempsey said. ``If there was somebody next door, I'd be very concerned. These people, unfortunately, are everywhere. The only thing is to protect yourself.''

Child-safety experts concur that while the information is helpful, there's a lot more to keeping children out of harm's way than knowing whether a sex offender lives nearby.

``We need to talk to our kids a lot more. The bottom line is, having this information doesn't protect your kids,'' said Jenni Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Polly Klaas Foundation, named for a Northern California girl who was kidnapped from her home and murdered by a convicted sex offender.

``We're busy looking for people who are already registered when the reality is that there are people out there who are committing these crimes who are not registered.''

Even as the Sheriff's Department is expanding its public education campaign, it is struggling with staffing of its sex crimes units. At each of the department's 23 stations, one officer is assigned to register and track the movements of sex offenders in addition to other duties.

``We need more people,'' said Scott, the Family Crimes chief. ``That isn't going to happen anytime soon.''

Staffing shortages also forced the LAPD to dismantle its Registration Enforcement and Compliance Team (REACT), which monitored and tracked sex offenders. Their responsibilities were added to the duties of 19 detectives.

``They're overloaded with just their regular caseload,'' said Detective Craig Rhudy, the major assault crimes coordinator at the LAPD's Van Nuys Division. ``It's really difficult to get to chasing down those who fail to register. It's a full-time job. It'd be a good idea if we had a REACT team.''

The state Department of Justice's Sexual Predator Apprehension Team also is understaffed. Five agents patrol Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, tracking sex offenders and arresting an average of five to 10 a month, most for failing to re-register, a felony.

``Yeah, we're busy,'' said Special Agent Jim Vitko, a member of the SPAT team. ``That's an understatement.''

The SPAT unit has been called in recently to help the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Santa Clarita and Lost Hills stations find sex offenders who had failed to register and disappeared.

``Basically, we attacked their whole list of offenders,'' said Special Agent Jim Biscailuz, a member of the SPAT team. ``They didn't know where they were. We tracked them down.''

PROTECTING CHILDREN

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children suggests the following ways to protect children against sexual predators.

--Listen to your children.

--Know where your children are at all times.

--Reinforce the importance of the ``buddy system.''

--Set boundaries about places your children may go, people they may see and things they may do.

--Know your child's daily activities and habits.

--Encourage open communication.

--Let your children know they can talk to you about any situation.

--Reassure your children that their safety is your top concern.

CAPTION(S):

box, map

Box:

PROTECTING CHILDREN (see text)

Map:

VALLEY REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS

SOURCES: Los Angeles Police Department, United States Department of Justice; Los Angeles County Urban Research Dept.

Warren Huskey/Staff Artist