Q: Is it legal for a policeman to run your tag for no reason? — Tamara Plummer,
 Atlanta

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Q: Is it legal for a policeman to run your tag for no reason?

— Tamara Plummer,
Atlanta

A: Yes. License plates are not covered by the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures, said Caren Morrison, a former federal prosecutor and assistant professor in Georgia State University’s School of Law. “There is no reasonable expectation of privacy in your license plate because it’s supposed to provide identifying information to law enforcement and to others,” she said. She said a police officer can run your tag number as long as it is in public view and the officer has a legal right to be in the spot where he or she sees the tag (as opposed to trespassing on private property).

Q: How would one know that you have a tapeworm and how would you get rid of it?

— Brandon Burnette,

Decatur

A: Tapeworm is a mildly infectious disorder, typically acquired by eating raw or undercooked beef or pork and most often occurring in adults, said Dr. Brian Nadolne, chief of family medicine at Northside Hospital. Symptoms can include anorexia, abdominal discomfort, loose stools and weight loss. Because these symptoms also can be attributed to other diseases and disorders, diagnosis of tapeworm is usually not made until proglottids, or worm segments, are found in the stool, especially when they’re moving. If tapeworm is diagnosed, treatment includes oral medication.

Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).