A well known doctrine known as "sovereign immunity" absolves government entities from "lawsuits or other legal actions except when it consents to them" ("Sovereign Immunity." Cornell University Law School. http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/sovereign_immunity). In fact, a government must expressly waive their immunity in order for that government to be held accountable in pretty much all cases. One might think that the government, those who are in place to protect us from harm and oversee our general well being, would hold themselves accountable for their actions when harm was brought to someone as a result of their actions, but they don't. Instead they usually use their immunity to place themselves above the law.
Case in point, here are some of the waivers that one will find in the Utah Code regarding just such immunities; beware they are pretty alarming.
(5) Immunity from suit of each governmental entity is not waived under Subsections (3) and (4) if the injury arises out of, in connection with, or results from:
- (a) the exercise or performance, or the failure to exercise or perform, a discretionary function, whether or not the discretion is abused;
- (b) assault, battery, false imprisonment, false arrest, malicious prosecution, intentional trespass, abuse of process, libel, slander, deceit, interference with contract rights, infliction of mental anguish, or violation of civil rights;
- (c) the issuance, denial, suspension, or revocation of, or by the failure or refusal to issue, deny, suspend, or revoke, any permit, license, certificate, approval, order, or similar authorization;
- (d) a failure to make an inspection or by making an inadequate or negligent inspection;
- (e) the institution or prosecution of any judicial or administrative proceeding, even if malicious or without probable cause;
- (f) a misrepresentation by an employee whether or not it is negligent or intentional;
- (g) riots, unlawful assemblies, public demonstrations, mob violence, and civil disturbances;
- (o) research or implementation of cloud management or seeding for the clearing of fog;
Now, after seeing what your government can do to you without any kind of accountability except for maybe the perpetrator will get fired, I ask you, what divides the criminals from the government? Easy. The government doesn't have to worry about getting caught because nothing can happen to the government anyway!