( CNN ) -- John Miller , who has moved back and forth between public service and journalism like few others in either profession , is doing it again . This time he 's leaving CBS News , where he has been a senior correspondent for two years , and joining the New York Police Department . Miller announced his latest move on Thursday . He embodies something that is , for some media critics , a source of great concern : the so-called `` revolving door '' between the people who cover the news and the people who are being covered . For CBS , he 's something else : a fount of great knowledge who will be almost impossible to replace . David Rhodes , the president of the network news division , said Miller 's decision was `` a loss for CBS . '' `` He 's been really great for us , '' Rhodes said in a telephone interview on Thursday . CBS allowed Miller out of his contract with the network because , as Rhodes put it , `` it would just be inappropriate to stand in the way '' of a return to public service . Miller 's exact title at the NYPD is not yet known . But he 'll have a high-profile job in counterterrorism , reuniting with his former boss William Bratton , who was the commissioner of the police department in the mid-1990s and will return to that position in January . Miller worked for local television stations in New York before going to work for Bratton as a spokesman for the NYPD in 1994 . He subsequently worked for ABC News ; the Los Angeles Police Department , again under Bratton , who had become police chief there ; the FBI ; and the office of the Director of National Intelligence . In late 2011 he joined CBS as a senior correspondent . When asked at the time about Miller 's moves back and forth between journalism and law enforcement , Rhodes said , `` He understands journalistic sources and methods and he understands our values . '' On Thursday , Rhodes said of the revolving-door situation and Miller , `` He 's traveled through it a number of times , '' and added `` we do n't think it 's a bad thing . '' Rhodes praised Miller for having an unmatched Rolodex of sources and said CBS has `` benefited from that greatly . '' Among the stories Rhodes cited were the mass shootings in Aurora , Colorado , and Newtown , Connecticut , when Miller was frequently on television to share information he had obtained from law enforcement sources . Rhodes added , `` John was the reason why we did n't go with the erroneous reports of an arrest in the Boston bombings . '' ( A number of other news organizations , including CNN , prematurely reported an arrest had been made two days after the April explosions . ) `` There 's nobody like him , and I think people around the television industry would agree with that , '' Rhodes said . `` They all would have liked to have him on those , and many more stories that he 's done for us . '' Miller 's close relationships with law enforcement sources , however , are among the reasons why some media critics have objected to his role at CBS and his repeated transitions from public service to journalism . They say the revolving door creates conflicts of interest for Miller and reporters like him . Miller 's `` 60 Minutes '' report about the National Security Agency met with disapproval by media critics earlier this month in part because of his pending move to the NYPD . ( Michael Calderone of The Huffington Post said on CNN 's `` Reliable Sources , '' `` John Miller has left journalism twice before . '' Calderone listed Miller 's prior jobs and said that in the `` 60 Minutes '' report , `` He disclosed only one of those for law enforcement roles . '' ) Rhodes indicated that he did n't think the report on the NSA was a conflict of interest . He said on Thursday , `` If he ( Miller ) was covering the NYPD , that would have been inappropriate . '' Miller 's move was announced via a news report on WCBS , the CBS affiliate in New York City . In an interview , Miller alluded to the fact that he 'll be involved in the city 's counterterrorism efforts , saying of New York , `` They have certainly the biggest , most complex and forward-leaning counterterrorism operation of any police department in the world , so it will be a great challenge that I hope to rise to . '' Rhodes said CBS News would seek to replace Miller soon , possibly through a combination of new hires . `` If and when he decides to return to journalism , we 'd welcome him back , '' he said .
Mike Miller is leaving CBS News to join the New York Police Department . His career has included work in both journalism and law enforcement . Some media outlets call such back - and - forth reporting a ` ` revolving door '' They say the revolving door creates conflicts of interest for those in it .