Law Enforcement Multigun

Sentinel Blue is one of the most well known LEM teams

**Law Enforcement Multigun** (LEM) is the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) law enforcement variation of IDPA Multigun (IDPA-M) events. LEM are practical shooting events where each of the stages require the competitor to use a combination of handguns, rifles, and/or shotguns. LEM differs from the standard IPSC/USPSA multigun in that its centered around real-world law enforcement practical shooting and uses categories related to law enforcement equipment exclusive to different agencies.

## Background

*Main article: International Defensive Pistol Association*

Law Enforcement Multigun (LEM) was created by the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) to represent a real world law enforcement variation of the multigun category of practical shooting. The IDPA founders believed that USPSA matches had become "equipment races", which were heavily dependent on a shooter's gear rather than their ability, as such they also created their own version of the traditional multigun (3-gun) event specifically aimed at law enforcement practical shooting. LEM is the sister category to IDPA Multigun practical shooting events.

Law Enforcement Multigun (LEM) is a modified law enforcement version of the traditional 3 gun and 2 gun competitions. The categories are Agency, Standard, and Unlimited. Agency is a version of IPSC Modified and Standard categories which only allows weapons issued by and modifications permitted by the agency the member represents, any modifications must be permitted by the member’s agency for standard duty use. Standard is a variant of the IPSC Standard category which only allows the standard issued weapons of the member’s agency without any modifications except for the addition of iron sights to rifles which otherwise don’t have them as standard. Unlimited is a category which allows personally owned weapons with an unlimited number of individual modifications of the member’s choice. Members can choose to compete in one or more of the categories depending on preference and personal availability of weapons. Most members participate in both Agency and Standard categories as these use agency provided/issued weapons, Unlimited category depends on the member’s access to appropriately competitive modified weapons. LEM is often considered highly skewed in terms of competitiveness due to the significant variation in agency issued weapons. LEM attempts to mitigate the effects by staging competition in such a way that makes difference in caliber and barrel length as minimal as possible, other factors such as the use of semi automatic versus pump action shotguns tends to cause the largest variation of competitive advantage. Most agencies involved in the LEM community have some form of sportsmanship agreement which involves its representatives using weapons as similar as possible to their competitors in the spirit of fair competition.

Law Enforcement Multigun teams are larger than most professional shooting teams as they prioritize teamwork and collaboration, in keeping with their field. They also tend to be larger as due to its members be active law enforcement personnel, some are not always available to compete at events or train effectively for certain events. Likewise not every member of the team is eligible or interested in competing in every category for a given event or championship. Typically at any given time, 4 members of each team will compete in their event, usually in pairs and teams are scored just as much on teamwork as they are on personal performance.

## LEM Categories

Sentinel Blue primarily competes in Law Enforcement Multigun (LEM) events, LEM categories consist of:

* **Agency**: A category which permits standard issued or personally owned handguns, rifles and shotguns. These weapons are only allowed to be modified in ways permitted by the member's individual agency for duty use.
	+ **Agency Plus**: Agency Plus is a variation of the standard Agency category, Agency Plus allows members to use additional modifications otherwise not allowed for duty use however it limited such modifications to ones that the competitor is able to install themselves and none that effect how the weapon itself functions. The most common modifications in this category are the addition of magwells to handguns, shotshell holders to shotguns, and the use of different rifle optics based on personal preference.
* **Standard**: A category which only permits the standard issued handgun, rifle and shotgun of each member's respective agency. Unlike the Agency category, Standard category weapons cannot be modified in any way from standard, apart from the addition of iron sights to rifles which otherwise don't have them. Standard is the least popular category, as while sourcing standard handguns is simple enough, sourcing standard rifles and shotguns for each agency is often complicated and costly. Most members who take part in Standard category events have their rifle and shotgun supplied by their respective agency or in some instances by the manufacturer of the weapon itself.
	+ **Standard Plus**: Standard Plus is a variation of the Standard category, Standard Plus allows 'closest approximation' for rifles and shotguns. Sourcing standard rifles and shotguns is one of the hardest aspects of competing in the Standard category, Standard Plus allows rifles and shotguns to be substituted that are the closest possible approximation of the member's agency's respective weapons. This is especially helpful for weapons which are either no longer produced or are only produced in limited quantity to each individual agency.
* **Unlimited**: Unlimited is the open category, weapons are permitted with any modification of the member's choosing, including muzzle breaks, compensators and optics. The use of optics and compensators are optional and will come down to personal preference and affordability.
	+ **Unlimited Plus**: Unlimited Plus is a lesser used category which allows competitors to set rules for specific modifications based on prearranged criteria. This includes limiting the use of compensators, optics and/or other modifications in order to make the competition fairer for all competitors.

The Sentinel Blue Tier One Team also competes in various IPSC, USPSA and IDPA championships in their respective categories.

## LEM Championships

Some of the notable LEM competitions the Sentinel Blue Tier One Team competes in include:

* **Law Enforcement Multigun Championship**: The first of its type, the Law Enforcement Multigun Championship (LEMC) is held annually on the second weekend in November in Tucson, Arizona. Despite LEM not having an official governing body, LEMC is considered the 'official' LEM championship. The LEMC has been held since 2017 however the LEMC was not held in 2019 due to not enough teams being available to compete, it was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
* **Ultimate Law Enforcement Challenge**: The Ultimate Law Enforcement Challenge (ULEC) is the second official LEM category championship and is held annually since 2019 in March throughout the world. It was held in Texas, United States in 2019, Kentucky, United States in 2021, Rotorua, New Zealand in 2022, and Lisbon, Portugal in 2023. ULEC is currently the only international LEM championship, however both LEMC and LEO 2-Gun allow competitors from any countries to compete.
* **Southern California LEM Championship**: The Southern California LEM Championship (SCLC) is an annual LEM championship consisting of teams from throughout Southern California, Nevada and Arizona. It has been held annually since 2018 on the second Saturday in August in San Bernardino, California.
* **California Ultimate Outlaw Multigun**: The California Ultimate Outlaw Multigun (CUOM or COMB) is an outlaw (unsanctioned) multigun challenge held annually in either late June to early July in Sacramento, California. CUOM has been held since 2007, however 2023 was the first year it added LEM events to its roster.
* **LEO 2-Gun**: The LEO 2-Gun is a 2-Gun challenge held bi-annually in September in Columbus, Georgia.

## Participation

While Law Enforcement Multigun matches are typically aimed at law enforcement officers, anyone can compete if they are able to follow LEM guidelines. For non-active law enforcement personnel, competitors must nominate a law enforcement agency and use gear, weapons and modifications exclusive to that agency. This practice is unofficially known as shadow agencies, some shadow agencies are more popular than others due to the availability of weapons, gear and access to duty approved modifications.