{{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 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.
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