Sudbury's 'Quaran-Time' Police Officer Retiring

SUDBURY, MA — A popular, long-serving Sudbury police officer is leaving the force.

32-year Sudbury officer Al Hutchinson will leave behind a long career serving the community, most recently as the school resource officer — a position that led him to wider popularity during the coronavirus lockdown.

Last spring, Hutchinson began his "QuaranStory Time" video series. He started the series to reach students who were stuck at home when schools across the state shut down. Each video begins with a cartoon and features a different story, and the episodes air on the department's Facebook page.

"When [COVID-19] came along Hutch’s role as a student resource officer needed to change... there was no school, so he adapted and became a viral video personality, moving from behind the curtain, to the spotlight," Sudbury police wrote in a post about Hutchinson's retirement.

Also in 2020, Hutchinson combined his storytime with Christmas: for the first time, Santa Claus took a pre-Dec. 25 tour of the town, which coincided with a special "QuaranStory Time" featuring St. Nick.

For his efforts, Hutchinson was named Sudbury's 2020 employee of the year.

"Trying to thank [Hutchinson] for his commitments, volunteerism and accolades, is difficult, not because of the amount, which is abundant, but because Hutch is often the man behind the curtain and hides his good deeds," the department said on Facebook.