Big-time law breakers

The Chicago Sun-Times has more about the "polygamist sect". What I don't understand is why authorities were so hesitant to move against these guys, who were big-time criminals (if you call people who break criminal law "criminals", which I do). The guys behind the "sect" had the perfect system set up. As soon as young girls were old enough to bear children, they were given to one of the guys and they were repeatedly raped until they were pregnant. They had children who were raised. When the girls were old enough, they too went into the system and were raped and brutalized. The girls were fed a cover story that painted the outside world as being even worse than their hell-hole lives. The system worked as designed. All you have to do is to realize that the sixty-some guys at El Dorado, Texas had produced over 400 children, who were just removed. So what is the big problem about inforcing the law against polygamy and child sex abuse? The police were also enforcing the law against assaulting women and children, who were physically abused, as well. Now, the authorities have withdrawn from the "compound" and are extremely apologetic about having acted. Why is that? They did the right thing and enforced the law. They knew what was happening at this place. They had an informant. Were they afraid of Mormons rioting and carrying out terrorist attacks? I doubt it.