FOX10 rides along with the ECSO

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - FOX10 News Reporter Russell Colburn spent Wednesday with Escambia County Sheriff's Deputy Heather Williams.  Williams, a member of the pro-active tactical unit, has been affiliated with the sheriff's office for the last eight years after getting her start in dispatch.

Heather Williams is living her childhood dream as a deputy with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office.

She's the only female member of the department's Tactical Unit, known simply as TAC, a group which specializes in proactive, street-level work to stop crime before it happens.

"As we're patrolling the neighborhood, when you find several individuals- four, five, six- hanging out either at the bottom of some stairs, or on the electric boxes, or at the corner- they're not doing anything, they're not playing basketball, anything like that- those are the groups that we typically have problems with as far as warrants, narcotics, trespassing, and everything else," Williams said.

Williams took FOX10 News through Oakwood Terrace Apartments, where Deputy Ryan Robinson was shot in the stomach last week.

His vest stopped the bullet and Williams says he's doing okay. She should know, the two are partners and spend 40 hours a week side by side.

"It wasn't that I'm patrol and a shooting has happened," Williams said.  "The scariest part was that it was my partner that was hit. The whole unit has a strong bond, so if it were to happen to anybody on the unit, it's difficult, but for it to be my partner it's just that much more difficult."

Wednesday's trip through the complex came at the request of Oakwood's management.

"[We are] making sure nobody has any warrants, no trespass warnings, anything like that," Williams said.

23-year-old Robrico Newberry allegedly tried to duck away from deputies, which led to his questioning.  As it turned out, Newberry had outstanding weapons warrants and was subsequently arrested.

Williams says Newberry, a two-time convicted felon, has a long history with her department, and it feels good to get him off the streets.

But she says the real closure will come when her partner's shooter is brought to justice.