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Taping can't be a secret Can a private citizen use a recording device, either video or audio, to record a conversation with police during a traffic stop? Since the officer is in a "public place" can't he or she be recorded? -- Dennis D., Grants Pass As long as you advise the officer that you intend to record the conversation, you have every right to do so, Dennis. Under Oregon Revised Statute 165.540, taped or otherwise recorded face-to-face conversations between two or more people are legal if everyone involved is notified of the recording. Whether the participants wish to speak during the recording is up to them. The same rules apply for police officers who wish to record conversations. Under ORS, police officers are exempted from notifying the others in the conversation only when the recording is approved by a court order. Conversations recorded during a felony that threatens someone's life also are exempted from the notification rule, under state law. WHIZBANG MATH, PART II : In our cocky answer to the question in Friday's paper about math problems, we had a bit of a math problem ourselves. Specifically, we said dividing 9,900 by 2 (as part of determining how many games 100 teams would play in a tournament) results in an answer of 4,450. Several alert readers pointed out that the correct answer if 4,950. We stand humbly corrected. ("Since You Asked'' is a daily feature in the Mail Tribune that answers questions from readers on virtually any topic of general interest. To submit a question, e-mail us at [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification. If you have specific questions about our Web site or other questions about the Mail Tribune, please send them to [email protected] ) Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA