Robert Clark, Columbus public safety director, to leave city later this month

Robert Clark, the director of the Columbus Department of Public Safety, announced he will be leaving the city for a job in Philadelphia later this month, the city said Tuesday.

In a Tuesday statement, Clark, who runs the agency tasked with operating the fire and police departments, said it was an honor to "lead the professionals who work every day to make Columbus safer and stronger."

“Though new professional development opportunities are taking me elsewhere, the dedicated women and men of Columbus Public Safety will always have my admiration and support," Clark said in a statement.

Clark has accepted the position of vice president of public safety at the Philadelphia Housing Authority, the municipal authority providing public housing services in that city.

Clark joined the city in 2021. Before his appointment, he had applied for the police chief job, but was named as director just days after former Director Ned Pettus Jr. resigned. When he was hired, he received an annual salary of $235,019, The Dispatch previously reported.

Prior to his job in Columbus, Clark was an assistant special agent-in-charge at the FBI's Los Angeles field office from 1995 to 2016. He oversaw more than 350 agents and multiple task forces, according to his resume, including leading the national gang task force responsible for investigating MS-13.

Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said in a statement that Clark "brought a lifetime of law enforcement experience to Columbus at a pivotal moment when we were trying to restore trust between the community and first responders." He said Clark was pivotal in increasing the diversity of the police and fire departments and forming relationships with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"I am grateful for his service and wish him well in this next step in his career," Ginther said in a statement.

Clark’s last day with the city will be April 15. The City will announce plans to appoint a new department director in the coming weeks.

@Colebehr_report

Cbehrens@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: The Columbus public safety director will leaving city for another job