Colin Kaepernick Issued Challenge by Alameda County Sheriff's Office

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office has issued a challenge to 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick after he made disparaging remarks about law enforcement officers and the training that they received, going so far as saying they have less training than cosmetologists.

Specifically, the sheriff’s office wants Kaepernick to try his hand with the Use of Force simulator.

In an open letter to Kapernick, the department wrote, "We would like to cordially invite you to the Alameda County Regional Training Center (RTC) in Dublin, CA. The RTC is currently in session hosting our 156th and 157th basic police academies. In addition to the academy, we train thousands of law enforcement officers from throughout the state and country in all aspects of our profession, including use of force. We have a specially designed Use of Force simulator that puts officers in situations where they must make split second decisions on what actions to take. In addition, we invite you to meet with our current academies and veteran officers to talk to them about their experiences and yours.”

The Kaepernick debate began on Friday when he refused to stand for the national anthem before a preseason game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. He later explained his action with, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."

That action and comment ignited a national debate about patriotism and led to some fans burning Kaepernick's jersey.

When asked during a press conference on Sunday what he would like to see changed, Kaepernick responded, "There’s a lot of things that need to change. One specifically is police brutality. There’s people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable. Cops are being given paid leave for killing people. That’s not right. That’s not right by anyone’s standards."

After a follow-up question by a reporter, Kaepernick said, "You have people that practice law and are lawyers and go to school for eight years, but you can become a cop in six months and don’t have to have the same amount of training as a cosmetologist. That’s insane. Someone that’s holding a curling iron has more education and more training than people that have a gun and are going out on the street to protect us."

Those comments led to the invitation by the sheriff’s office. But his comments are not sitting well with other law enforcement agencies around the Bay Area. The San Francisco Police Officers Association sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and 49ers head Jed York demanding they renounce Kaepernick's statements, saying, "we will not stand by while he attacks police officers."

Kaepernick has not publicly responded to the invitation.

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