“Illegal?” DS9’s S31 was protected by Starfleet Command. They were completely untouchable.
They can be both protected and illegal. Sisko noted that the organization was completely antithetical to the laws of Starfleet, but their existence was neither denied nor acknowledged by Starfleet. This is part of the reason why he asked Bashir to act as a double-agent.
If a police officer commits murder but the D.A. covers it up and the officer is never charged with a crime, does this make murder by the police legal?
Yes, it is illegal, and the government does not enforce laws consistently. The point is, this is a moral failing of Starfleet/the US government. This is an injustice.
“Illegal?” DS9’s S31 was protected by Starfleet Command. They were completely untouchable.
They can be both protected and illegal. Sisko noted that the organization was completely antithetical to the laws of Starfleet, but their existence was neither denied nor acknowledged by Starfleet. This is part of the reason why he asked Bashir to act as a double-agent.
If they’re nominally illegal, and those responsible for upholding the law are working with them, they’re not really illegal at all, are they?
If a police officer commits murder but the D.A. covers it up and the officer is never charged with a crime, does this make murder by the police legal?
Yes, it is illegal, and the government does not enforce laws consistently. The point is, this is a moral failing of Starfleet/the US government. This is an injustice.