Why is it okay for law enforcement officers to break the law to enforce the law?

After all, that makes at least one extra person a law-breaker besides the criminal they are pursuing.

So if someone is speeding/breaking and entering/etc the police officer shouldn't be able to speed to catch up to the speeder? He shouldn't be able to go into the place where the criminal is?

You're question really is idiotic.

If police don't break the law to catch criminals how are they going to catch them?

EDIT: AgriCult, your answer is just as idiotic as this question. For starters, it wasn't a yes or no question..

Your question is somewhat flawed due to your lack of understanding.

I won't claim this is the case in every possible scenario, but normally when a law enforcement officer does something you'd think is illegal while they are enforcing the law, it's not illegal.

For example:

In California, I am exempt from most traffic laws if I am responding to an emergency or pursuing a suspect. That means I can speed above the posted limit and I can go through red lights - things you cannot legally do. However, because I am statutorily exempt from those laws under those conditions, I'm not breaking a law when I speed or go through a red light.

While I am conducting a drug investigation, I am statutorily exempt from the laws regarding possession of drugs.

As a peace officer, I am statutorily exempt from laws regarding firearm concealment in almost every possible way.

Because the Supreme Court has said it's legal for me to do so, I can (within legal constraints) utilize deception during an investigation.

The list goes on. The point is that assuming we are talking about proper law enforcement conduct, many of what you think are illegal things for us to do are actually legal by statute...so we are not breaking a law.

In response to the "unless your Dick Cheney..." remark~

or unless you're Barack Hussein Obama.

In which case, even though your grand mother affirms you were born in Nigeria

and are therefore not legally allowed to be president,

you don't have to prove you were born in the u.s.

because you are the messaiah of the new world order.

I'll keep my Guns, My Money and My Freedom. You can keep the "Change!

It shouldn't be okay. Law enforcement has laws justifying what it does. Under no circumstances should it break it's own rules. That seems counterproductive.

the answer is no, unless your Dick Cheney, in which case the American people don't go after you. They just shrug and say, well that guy can be above the law, it's fine.

Do you have an example of a law enforcement officer breaking the law to enforce a law?

It never is! That is the problem that we are having here in Texas with no refusal blood draws. The police should never break the law, they should be held to a higher standard!