CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The W.Va. State Police has been cataloguing sex offenders since 1993, but it's possible the number of registered offenders does not match the actual number of criminals in the state, according to officials.

The sex offender registry, which is staffed by a team of nine full-time professionals, has an active list of 3,312 registered sex offenders. However, the real number is closer to 4,000.

There are about 700 registered sex offenders who are incarcerated across the state.

While incarcerated, an offender's name is taken off the list because he is "not a threat to the public," said Terri Swecker, coordinator for the sex offender and child abuse registry. Once he is released, however, his name is added back to the searchable database.

All offenses committed after the database was started are entered into the registry. However, every offender who committed an act before 1993 has to be found and retroactively added.

Swecker, who has 27 years of civilian work with the State Police, said although they are entering almost 400 new offenders into the database each year, it's impossible to think every sex offender in the state is accounted for.

"We're always finding new people," she said.

In addition to a number of people who are not yet listed on the registry because of the date of their crime, and offenders in the jail system, Swecker and Sgt. S.M. Pettry, deputy director of criminal records, said the number of offenders actually tops 4,000.

Of that total, there are approximately 400 registered sex offenders in Kanawha County alone, the most in the state.

And yet that number can fluctuate. 

Offenders are required to register not only the county they live in, but if they own property or are employed in a different county. 

"About 400 live in Kanawha County, but there can be an influx of offenders who work here during the day," Pettry said. "There are a lot of people to keep track of."

Although sex offenders are required to notify the State Police of their employment, they are not required by law to tell an employer they are a registered sex offender.

While many places, including schools and little leagues that hire people to work closely with children, do verify and run background checks on potential employees, many companies do not.

Swecker said if companies did more background checks, they would be surprised what they find.

"If they did, I am sure a lot of people would [lose their jobs]," she said.

Any registered offender will show up in the database, save for the 84 offenders who only have to register for 10 years. These offenders generally committed a single nonviolent offense against another adult, said Swecker.

Anytime an offender is registered with the State Police, Swecker and her team are required to compile all of the documentation about the crime to do a "fact check."

"These aren't the most honest people," she said. "They minimize the crime and the age of the victim."

Swecker said reading case files on offenders and the abuse they have committed is hard, but she said she tries to keep everything in perspective.

"Just keep moving on and get to the next one," she said. "If you don't keep it in check, it can drive you crazy."

Offenders, who have to physically come to the detachment to register annually, or every 90 days if they are a sexually violent predator, are placed into the LiveScan computer, an intranet system that keeps track of all the offenders in the state.

Pettry said entering your information into the LiveScan system is akin to signing your life away.

Any time offenders do anything, from getting a new job to a different cell phone number to moving across the street, they have to notify police.

Once a person has registered as an offender, troopers in that jurisdiction have 15 days to physically verify the location of the residence and the address with the post office.

They are the "heart and soul of the operation," Pettry said. 

Pettry said state offenders "state shop," like prescription pill abusers doctor shop.

"Which state is more beneficial to live in? Where do I have to do the least?" he said.

And even with all of the technology used to keep track of the offenders, Swecker said her instinct is still what she trusts most.

"If it seems off, check it out," she said.

Reach Kathryn Gregory at kathr...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5119.