By Suzie Sawyer, C.O.P.S. Executive Director
Special contributor to Police1
“Although he never served in the military, Trey had a great love for his country. He loved ‘the red, white and blue’,” proudly stated his father, Mark Hutchison from Bossier City, LA. “Trey felt ‘called to serve’ as a law enforcement officer, and he gave his life for America,” added his mother, Wendy Hutchison. So, because of their son’s love of country, Concerns of Police Survivors’ wants to recognize the Hutchisons during the month of July.
Officer Trey Hutchison was killed at the age of 27 in the line of duty on August 11, 2004, when he responded to a 911 hang-up call. The caller knew, but didn’t inform the dispatcher that there were guns in the residence and the person inside had several confrontations with police in the past. Hutchison received no warning that raised his level of caution when responding to the call. Hutchison was killed by a man who had no love or respect for the police.
“We knew we had to make something good come from Trey’s sacrifice. We thought if information on people who habitually have confrontations with police were available, it would alert the officers whenever they answer a call or run a license check. The response to the call would then be handled in a very different manner to protect the officers,” said Mark.
Both Mark and Wendy worked with their state representative, Jane Smith, to see that the “Trey Hutchison Act” passed the Louisiana Legislature in 2005. The law provides a statewide data base that tracks people who take on the police in Louisiana. The Hutchisons say they are aware of at least one officer whose life was saved by warning him there was additional danger at the residence to which he would be responding.
Mark says, “The law is necessary. And while the data base is available to agencies throughout Louisiana, they have to ‘apply’ for access to it. So our next step is to educate the agencies that the information is simply waiting for them to access.”
Mark and Wendy’s youngest son, Luke, is also a public servant, as a research attorney for the Chief Justice on LA’s 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. Luke and his wife, Britney are the proud parent’s of Brody, the Hutchisons first grandchild. In 2006, the Hutchisons became legal guardians of a little girl, also named Wendy. They are also actively involved in the LA chapter of C.O.P.S. “Trey can never be replaced, but between doting on Brody, raising Little Wendy, and being involved with other survivors, we continue through our healing process,” said Wendy.
The Fourth of July will always be a difficult time for the Hutchison Family…because their son so loved America that he sacrificed his life for the land of the free and the home of the brave.