Yes, when law enforcement gets that enmeshed with the plans of criminals, things go sideways. Compare the ATF scheme ("Operation Fast and Furious") for letting

Yes, when law enforcement gets that enmeshed with the plans of criminals, things go sideways. Compare the ATF scheme ("Operation Fast and Furious") for letting illegal gun sales proceed so that criminal gun distributors higher up the food chain could be caught: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATF_gunwalking_scandal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATF_gunwalking_scandal When you count all the guns that the US let leak into Mexico over the years, it's hard to justify the operation. Basically, such an operation deserves a fuller debate and examination of all the consequences. But by their nature, secret operations can't have full debates.