Fomby, Spencer
Policing Political Protests

This seminar will cover issues related to policing violent political protests between Right- and Left-wing extremists. The presenter will share lessons learned from years of protest experience in the California Bay Area, including 12 protest events in 2017 and events in 2018.

Spencer Fomby - Bio
Spencer Fomby began his law enforcement career in 1999 with the Berkeley Police Department. He has been a member of the SWAT team since 2004 and has served as a team leader since 2010. In March 2021, he was hired by the Boise, Idaho Police department, where he is Captain over the training division. During his career, Fomby has provided instruction in SWAT, Defensive Tactics, Tactical Firearms, Mobile Field Force, Counter Ambush, Active Shooter/Rescue Task Force, Tactical De-escalation, and High-Risk Patrol Tactics. He was selected as his department's Officer of the Year in 2011 for his actions during an officer-involved shooting. Spencer was the leader of the 2013 Urban Shield first-place team. He is a member of a National Institute of Justice Special Technical Committee on civil disturbance units and is a visiting fellow in policing at the University of Derby in the UK. Spencer is the lead departmental crowd control instructor, responsible for equipment selection, tactical training, less-lethal weapon selection, chemical agent selection and deployment, and mission planning. He has extensive experience as a squad leader in crowd control events. Spencer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Administration of Justice from Howard University.