I’ll add that the first 2 departments I applied to didn’t hire me specifically because of my stuttering. The third department hired me, I gave them 7 years of which I was on SWAT for 4 years, 3 of those as a tactical paramedic. High stress, high need for instant communication. Everyone looks the same in IR. Nothing to do with race. I don’t know what your journey was, but mine wasn’t always sunshine.