Tallahassee, Florida- August 10, 2012
They are the men and women on the front-lines of crime fighting in Tallahassee.
"My goal and most of my coworkers' goal is to leave this city better than when we found it," says Officer Eric Williams with the Tallahassee Police Department.
Officer Eric Williams is a part of the Tallahassee Police Department's patrol unit.
Of TPD's 350 officers, close to 20 of them are on patrol at any given time. Williams is 5-year-veteran of the force. He and his fellow patrol officers are spread out across the city's three zones: northeast, northwest and southeast. They handle everything domestic spats to homicides.
"What I'm doing when I'm out on patrol is showing the community that we are out in the neighborhoods and we are here to help," says Williams
Williams patrols the City's south-side. It's one of Tallahassee's toughest neighborhoods. Williams says these patrols are helping combat those crimes.
"I like to keep an eye out to watch out for suspicious activity, watch out for crimes in progress," says Williams.
Officers on patrol participate in what the department calls 'proactive police work.' That entails everything from neighborhood patrols to traffic stops. But Williams says a big part in stopping crime is the tips police get from people.
"It can be anything from a parking complaint to a tip on a homicide or drug deal. We appreciate it all," says Williams.
