A tip, in
law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...
, is a piece of information regarding a
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
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
Anonymity describes situations where the acting person's identity is unknown. Some writers have argued that namelessness, though technically correct, does not capture what is more centrally at stake in contexts of anonymity. The important idea he ...
, or by a known source whom the recipient might have reason to trust or distrust. In
United States law
The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the nation's Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the federal government of the United States, as well as v ...
, by itself, a tip generally does not provide
probable cause
In United States criminal law, probable cause is the standard by which police authorities have reason to obtain a warrant for the arrest of a suspected criminal or the issuing of a search warrant. There is no universally accepted definition or f ...
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
Corroborating evidence, also referred to as corroboration, is a type of evidence in law.
Types and uses
Corroborating evidence tends to support a proposition that is already supported by some initial evidence, therefore confirming the propositio ...
can be found.
[Kären Hess, Christine Hess Orthmann, ''Introduction to Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice'' (2011), p. 213.]
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
Law enforcement
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