Tip (law enforcement)

{{single source|date=January 2018}} {{hatnote|"Tipline" redirects here. For the infrastructure project, see [[Trans-Israel pipeline]].}} A '''tip''', in [[law enforcement]], is a piece of information regarding a [[crime]] or other activity of interest to law enforcement, usually by a source outside of the law enforcement agency. A tip might provide law enforcement personnel with a direction to pursue in the investigation of a crime, and it might be made [[Anonymity|anonymously]], or by a known source whom the recipient might have reason to trust or distrust. In [[United States law]], by itself, a tip generally does not provide [[probable cause]] to make an arrest or perform a search of someone's property, but it may be a factor contributing to probable cause if [[corroborating evidence]] can be found.<ref>Kären Hess, Christine Hess Orthmann, ''Introduction to Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice'' (2011), p. 213.</ref>

Many law enforcement agencies maintain a '''tip line''' to enable citizens to report suspicious activities generally, or to provide information about a particular crime currently under investigation.

==References== {{reflist}}

[[Category:Law enforcement]] {{law-enforcement-stub}}