Undercover cops? Really?

I don't get it. I didn't get it in the 1970s, either. These "kids" are cops. They were hired by the LAPD. They don't carry badges. They don't carry guns. I always thought that was what "undercover" meant, until Baretta came along. Then I figured it was their police records that made that so, but they aren't violent criminals. They don't have any drug history. Pete, maybe, because he committed Grand Theft, but then, why couldn't the others carry guns? I mean, Julie was only guilty of vagrancy! Hardly a felony crime. Nor was Linc's being involved in the riots. He might have had some violence in respect to that, but it's never mentioned.

Their training was insane! Julie couldn't even throw a punch; didn't think to bite the hand of her captors in any situation! She never even learned to keep her door locked. All the boys could do was typical street fight punching. They didn't know anything about basic self-defense, or any martial arts. If one is in situations where people are going to pull guns on them, and aren't legal to carry a weapon, they should at least know some martial arts/self defense. In fact, in that time, any police person would have been highly trained in the MA, anyways!

They can't even make an arrest! As they don't carry badges, they don't make official arrests, they just hand the culprits off to a uniformed cop, or a detective, but they don't even make a citizen's arrest!

And Greer gives them vacations at the drop of a hat! "Hmmm, you look a bit peaked. Why don't you take a week off?" There's no way a cop could do that!