‘NYPD’ CONSULTANT: ‘THIS IS EVERY COP’S DREAM’

When “NYPD Blue” co-creator David Milch and his group of writers and producers want to bring a dose of reality to the story lines and cases on “NYPD Blue,” it’s Bill Clark who drops a taste of the Big Apple into the mix.

Clark, a 17-year homicide detective with the New York Police Department, is also a consulting producer on the hit drama series. He brings a touch of authenticity, especially in scenes where detectives are interrogating suspects or trying to get information out of witnesses.

“This is every cop’s dream, to be able to have this kind of job on television,” says Clark, who is about to retire from the police department to work full time on the show. “I have an instinct on how to handle people, and I try to bring that into the show.”

Clark, talking about many of the citizens he encounters who commit crimes, says: “Most of the time, they’re good people who do bad things. I try not to be nasty to people. It’s a traumatic enough experience to be arrested.”

Clark bears more than a passing resemblance in attitude and demeanor to the outspoken Sipowicz on the show. He is quick to smile and loves to joke, but colleagues say he has an uncanny insight into people and can tell when they’re giving him less than the truth.

He also has a fondness for exotic pet birds that he keeps in his rented Santa Monica home.

But “NYPD Blue” is his bigger passion. “The guys back home in the department love the show, they say it’s so real--and it’s about time.”