How many sex offenders are too many in a neighborhood? Where's the "fill to here" line that says enough?

You might be surprised.

The question was raised by Bob Schneider, chairman of the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce. In one week, he got four postcards notifying him that sexual predators were moving in to OTR.

"Getting four cards in a week, it just struck me as crazy," he said.

No kidding. Schneider and others have high hopes for OTR. Where others see futility, poverty and despair, they see wild optimism for new housing and businesses.

But OTR attracts social-service agencies the way a highway exit draws BP stations and Burger Kings. And some of those charities are a magnet for sex offenders whose first address out of prison is a halfway house or a homeless shelter.

OTR has 115 sex criminals, according to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Web site.

"Whew," Schneider said. "That is even more than when I looked a year ago. There were just 50."

Maybe it's no surprise that rapists and molesters gravitate to the grittiest streets in the city. But suburbanites who think it's a "downtown thing" should think again. The Web sites for Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont sheriffs show a lot more sex offenders living next door than most of us thought.

Names, addresses, crimes and color pictures are displayed. Some look like extras from Deliverance. Others look like college kids or friendly grandfathers. One looked like Santa Claus.

By my recent count, the city of Hamilton in Butler County had 111, compared to 96 in all of Warren County.

Hamilton County had 766. Clermont County had 149. Butler County had 211, according to Deputy Holly Harmon, who's in charge of registering sex offenders.

My neighborhood, Miami Township in Clermont, had 24 - one less than a year ago when a sexual predator moved in and warnings sent in the mail caused an uproar.

Moms and dads held public meetings and spread the word like prairie dogs that spot a snake. And when he was arrested and sent back to prison, they cheered.

But there are lots of these guys living all over Cincinnati. Some are rapists, kidnappers and child molesters who have served their time but are far from "cured."

The worst are sexual predators, who show a pattern of sex crimes. State law requires postcard notification of any property owners within 1,000 feet of the sexual predator's new address.

But most are "sexual offenders." No notification is required for them.

Harmon points out, "You could also be living next to an ex-murderer and you wouldn't know that."

The good news is that the 1997 law is working to warn the public. And contrary to the panicky predictions by ACLU types, Harmon and Steve Barnett of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office said they know of no sex criminals who have been attacked by "vigilantes."

They also said repeat crimes by sex criminals are pretty rare.

But Harmon advised, "I would hope the parents keep an extra eye out."

Good advice. It's easy to do. Just check your local sheriff's Web site.

E-mail pbronson@enquirer.com or call 768-8301