Thompson stunned many in the industry in 2000 when she left the long-running police drama to pursue a career as a journalist. To her credit, she accepted a position with a local TV station in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she honed her skills and proved to be a natural. Indeed, Thompson was so polished and successful that within a year she was snapped up to serve as an anchor on "CNN Headline News" and as a national correspondent on CNN.