Indianapolis police to get body cameras

City officials say Indianapolis police officers will be equipped with body cameras starting this summer in an effort that was already underway before officers fatally shot two black men last week.

Police have said Dreasjon "Sean" Reed, 21, and McHale Rose, 19, both shot at officers before they were killed in separate incidents just hours apart. Their deaths have led to protests. Activist groups have demanded transparency and accountability as the shootings are investigated.

The shootings were not recorded by any police camera because the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is only now moving to implement a program. But events surrounding Reed's shooting were livestreamed on Facebook, apparently from Reed's cellphone.

Mayor Joe Hogsett said the city has been working for 18 months to provide body cameras for its 1,700-officer force. He said the planned deployment was not "necessarily driven" by the recent shootings and subsequent protests.

Hogsett announced Friday that he had asked the U.S. attorney's office and the FBI to "actively monitor" the shooting investigations. Marion County's prosecutor asked a court to appoint an independent prosecutor to handle the investigation into Reed's shooting.