PA DA's Association Recommendations On Best Practices For Investigating Police Involved Shootings

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- The Pennsylvania District Attorney's Association is out with recommendations on how to investigate and deal with police-involved shootings, in what they say are the first, state-wide guidelines in the country.

The 16 recommendations range from what agency should process the scene and handle the investigation, to more specific measures of how to treat injuries of anyone who is shot.

Chester County DA Tom Hogan is chairman of the Pennsylvania District Attorney's Association's best practices committee, and says the recommendations come from real-world experience:

"The purpose of these protocols is to get to the truth of what happened in an officer involved shooting, and for the public to understand what we go through in the process, what rules we are following as we do one of these investigations."

Among the recommendations: as soon as the scene is secured, render first aid. If the subject is dead, cover the body immediately. And an independent agency should handle the investigation to avoid any appearance of bias or cover-up.

The recommendations do not address use-of-force policies pointing to state and federal laws.