Challenging problematic and downright deadly interactions with the police is not a new phenomenon. The attention violent police encounters with citizens especially those in marginalized communities has swept across out nightly news due to the iniquitousness of smartphones and cameras. However, anecdotes and documented evidence of police brutality is longstanding. This is a fact of life that many of our fellow citizens live with. It is no less true for people who experience intellectual and developmental distinctions and/or autism. An encounter with law enforcement could very well end in death or serious injury but as data from a report released by the AZ Developmental Disabilities Planning Council asserts it is more likely to end with detainment, and possibly jail. Law Enforcement officers during a training on responding to people with IDD, were asked how they might respond if they saw a person displaying behavior characteristic of a “full blown meltdown” as demonstrated by a co-facilitator, admitted they would “assume drugs” and/or “reach for their gun due to non-compliance”. This begs the question who are you? Who are the people we are hiring as law enforcement officers. What are their mindsets coming into a role where constant contact with a public that is made up of a broad and diverse representation of human beings. Is training enough or are we looking at a complete rethinking of the role of police officers starting with who we are recruiting? NOIRE explores this question and more…