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Community
POLICE CHIEF
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years.
“Lefebvre (as a police officer)
spoke with many of us during his visits to the high school,” Hutchins recalled. “That con- firmed that I really wanted to further my education towards becoming a law enforcement officer.”
He began while still in school by signing up with the Plymouth Police Explorers. Through that program, Lefebvre and other officers presented useful infor- mation on what it is like to be a police officer, as well as the daily tasks they handle.
After graduation from Plym- outh Regional High School,
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he attended NHTI to earn a degree in Criminal Justice. While attending classes there, Hutchins also began pursuing his intended career. Because the Town of Plymouth had a policy at that time for not hiring offi- cers under the age of 21, he in- stead reached out to the Town of Rumney. They were im- pressed that a local resident was interested in becoming involved in law enforcement. They told Hutchins they were willing to work around his college classes and part-time training at the N.H. Police Academy, which was being provided at Plymouth State College at that time.
After obtaining his degree from NHTI, Hutchins was then hired by the Town of Woodstock
and went on to attend the full- time police academy to become a fully certified police officer.
In November of 2002, Chief Lefebvre, a PPD sergeant at that time, contacted Hutchins to tell him he would like him to join their team and, after a few sleep- less nights of mulling it over, the young officer said yes.
“I knew I wanted to dedicate my time and effort to a commu- nity that meant a lot to me,” he said. “The Town of Plymouth really means a lot to me because of growing up in the area...I knew this was an opportunity of a lifetime, and now that I was eligible to be hired by the Town of Plymouth’s police de- partment, I wanted to focus on my long-term goals.” He added
that he enjoyed his job in Wood- stock, so it wasn’t a job change in his mind, but instead the start of a career in the community he grew up in and cared for. After three years on PPD, Hutchins was named a training officer for the department, then promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2008.
When his mentor Lefebvre was promoted to Chief of Police in 2012, he brought Hutchins up with him as his Captain, a posi- tion that was soon renamed to the title of Deputy Chief.
Upon the recommendation of Lefebvre, who retired at the end of September, Hutchins was sworn in as the Chief of Plym- outh Police nineteen years after joining the department.
On Oct. 12th, his grandfa-
ther, Harry Hutchins, dad Clint, wife Amanda, and their children Brecken and Kennedy had the honor of standing before the Board of Selectmen to affix the newly earned pins on his uni- form.
Once the pinning ceremony was done, his proud grandfather Harry took a moment to speak publicly to the new chief. “It’s an honor to be here again in Plym- outh...I’m proud of you, and your grandmother is looking down from Heaven, and she’s proud of you, too,” Harry told him. “You’ve taken on a great responsibility, and may God bless you and protect you.”
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