Mayor Karen Bass has appointed Robert Clark as deputy mayor for public safety after he spent 22 years as an FBI agent, her office confirmed Monday, April 7. Clark will oversee the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Fire Department, the Emergency Management Department, the Los Angeles Port Police and the Los Angeles Airport Police. Clark began work April 7 with the city facing a $1 billion budget shortfall that could prompt personnel reductions in the departments he oversees.
Clark was as an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office from 2009 to 2016, seeking to improve policy and community relationships, confront international organized crime, human trafficking and more. He also served as executive director of the Central Texas Public Safety Commission, a nonprofit organization that provides resources and advocacy for police, fire and emergency medical response agencies in the region. Clark also served as vice president of public safety for Philadelphia Housing Authority, the nation’s fourth largest public housing development, and director of public safety for Columbus, Ohio.
Clark began his career in public service as an officer with the Youngstown (Ohio) Police Department, according to a biography supplied by the Mayor’s Office. Clark succeeds Brian Williams, who Bass placed on administrative leave following an investigation into a bomb threat he allegedly made against City Hall. The investigation is ongoing.
The Mayor’s Office was notified in December that the FBI searched Williams’ home after he allegedly made a bomb threat. The investigation was led by the Los Angeles Police Department, which determined Williams was “likely the source of the threat.”
The case was referred to the FBI “due to the department’s working relationship” with Williams, according to the department.
Through his lawyer, Williams has strongly maintained his innocence, according to multiple reports. Williams remains on the city payroll, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday, April 7.
