Hillary Clinton's advertisement about the "3 a.m. phone call" was probably her most effective campaign tactic. She used that commercial more than once. Unfortunately for her, that message--of her readiness--didn't make voters forget her weaknesses.
But readiness remains a big deal when it comes to political leadership, on many levels. It was more than whispered about when Frank Scott Jr. was running to be mayor of Little Rock. Would this young man be ready for the proverbial 3 a.m. phone call? How would he handle his first crisis? It's easy to seem wise beyond your years at a semi-scripted debate, but what about when real life happens, as it does often in Arkansas' largest city?
Mayor Frank Scott has put those questions to rest. We make no predictions on how he handles his second, third, fourth and 100th crisis in the coming years, but his first one he handled like a veteran. And may have saved his city weeks, maybe months, of grief. For examples of what kind of grief, just look at the newspapers the last few years.
It is a brutal video clip. And one you've likely seen. We didn't even know a police officer's gun held that many rounds. But once the car started moving, the officer started shooting, and in the end a man was killed and an officer relieved of duty. Not only that, but the FBI moved in, conducting its own investigation. We hope it's thorough and fair.
Mayor Scott used a minute or so at a press conference to say that the shooting has prompted him and the police force to buy more body cameras for cops, which hasn't been done before now because they're so expensive. Mayor Scott says his administration will "scrape every dollar" in the budget to come up with the money. That's a good idea. There is plenty of video in this case, but body cameras on every cop would bring Little Rock into modern times. And let everybody know--police and the public they deal with--that everything's on tape.
After the news conference, the video was posted online, so the public can make its own judgment. That's another decision that was (1) right and (2) unexpected. Not every jurisdiction is as open when it comes to police shootings. Thousands of people have already viewed the video.
The mayor's transparency gives the city of Little Rock the best chance to avoid other problems like the ones experienced in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore, to name just two. Frank Scott may be new at the job, but his leadership style is already helping the city.
Now the investigations will commence. The FBI and the local prosecutor's office will send their own teams, and come up with their own ideas. There's no telling at this point how it will go. But no matter how it ends up, some folks will not be satisfied. Did the officer have to shoot? Who doesn't get out of the car when an officer demands it? Does the video show the car turning toward the officer? Could he have stepped out of the way?
When the investigations are complete, some people will call foul.
What they won't be able to say is that the city wasn't forthcoming or transparent. For that, this new mayor deserves a lot of credit.
Editorial on 03/11/2019