Vigilantism

[triplexxx]

What I've wondered is how what the TMNT do doesn't fall under the category of vigilantism? Basically, vigilantism means seeking out justice to criminals, just without government approval, like with the police or the military. So it's like serving as a member of the force, just without actually being a member of which. Naturally, the goal of vigilantism is to seek out and punish wrong-doers, whether that means threatening them, beating them up just enough to teach them a lesson, beating them and binding them for the police, or in some cases kill them should the need for lethal force arise, and hopefully before their crimes end up hurting any innocents. Vigilantism is not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes even people who act out of pure self-defense/defense-of-others (ex: Paul Kersey, Death Wish) are deemed vigilantes, though in most cases its meant to point at those who strike the criminals before they get a chance to strike...is it really right if and when the police are too slow to respond to wait until the last minute, 'til you or someone other innocent's at gunpoint until you make a quick reflex action to pull out a gun, knife, etc. and strike a criminal down just so it can legally be declared self-defense, or is it better to go out and strike them while their guards down if you know the police are to slow and with these specific criminals, it's either you (innocents) or them? I believe if and when there's any difference between honor and vigilantism, it's based on nothing but the degree of the use of violence and its degree of necessity in any given situation.
But anyway, the point of this isn't to decide whether vigilantism is acceptable or not, it's to determine whether or not what the turtles do falls under the subject. Because it seems to me when it comes to dealing justice, it's either one of these two things: you're a member of the force, or you're a vigilante...I don't see any other way to classify it.