CNN hires former NYPD official as top law enforcement analyst

CNN has hired a former top aide to the New York Police Department (NYPD) as its chief law enforcement analyst, the company announced on Tuesday.

John Miller, a leading expert on intelligence and national security matters, begins this week as CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst.

Miller served as the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism before his recent retirement. Prior to joining the department, Miller was a correspondent for both CBS News and ABC News and is the former co-anchor of ABC’s “20/20.”

He is the first major hire made by CNN’s new president, Chris Licht, who has overseen several high-profile changes to the network’s programming and talent in recent weeks.

“John will help deliver on CNN’s commitment to tackle complex issues while presenting audiences with independent, objective news and meaningful analysis across platforms,” Licht said in a statement.

Miller said he has worked closely with Licht and “share[s] his editorial vision,” which he described as “speed, but not at the expense of accuracy, passion but not at the expense of objectivity.”

“I am especially proud to join CNN at a time when covering the news, getting it right and delivering it in a straightforward way has never been more vital to the American public,” Miller added.

Since taking over in May, Licht has told staffers at CNN and its advertisers that his vision for the cable news giant is one that tones down partisan rhetoric in its analysis and sensationalism in news reporting.