Colonel Hutchins wasted no time in contacting the leaders of the various labor organizations and inviting them to a meeting where he introduced himself and his ideas. Col. Hutchins gave a brief history of himself. He was born and raised on a Tobacco farm in Southern Maryland. He is a military man and served in Vietnam. He was a trooper and retired after having achieved the rank of captain and being elected to represent his district in the State Legislator.

Colonel Hutchins asked for our support and patience as he re- acquaints himself with the operations. This is not the same agency from which he retired. He pointed out that we have one-hundred fewer troopers today then we did when he retired, and more responsibility. (We are all aware of that fact.) His plan is to take ninety days to assess the agency both personally and with the assistance of volunteers including current active personnel, retired personnel, and military personnel. He will then take forty five days to evaluate the assessors' findings and develop a plan. This plan will then be implemented sometime around July 1, 2004. In the meantime, he is directing everyone to continue doing their job and doing it to the best of their ability. Colonel Hutchins has a goal. He warns his commanders to command and his non-coms to teach, to train, and to lead. This is a lofty goal but one that I believe we can all support.

The final benefit that Col. Hutchins brings to the table is his willingness to listen and his desire to do the right thing. He has corrected some of the wrongs of the past and transferred people closer to home. He has opened the door to all labor groups and wants our input; He has started the train rolling and wants everyone to be on board. He has experience in Annapolis and experience with the MSP. He appears to understand the value of an experienced trooper and wants troopers to stay on the job. He does not appear to be statistics driven but wants to use all available resources to analyze what we do, how we do it, and if we can do it better.