Three years after Hy-Vee announced that its security officers would wear uniforms, carry handguns, pepper spray and stun guns and wear body cameras, it appears to be backing off the measures.
A Hy-Vee spokesperson acknowledged there had been a change after a Des Moines Register reporter observed Thursday that security officers in the supermarket chain’s downtown Des Moines store had traded their uniforms for polo shirts and jackets and were no longer visibly armed — as they had been the previous day.
Tina Potthoff said security officers will now wear polos. But she declined to comment further on changes to store security measures.
“They are going to be wearing a different look,” she said, then added in a text, “We don’t disclose our security protocols or procedures. And we are not aware of a retailer who does.”
West Des Moines-based Hy-Vee announced its turn to armed, uniformed officers in December 2021, drawing national attention.
“The goal of our retail security program is to be a visual deterrent to crime and violence,” then-Hy-Vee spokesperson Christina Gayman said. “Our officers will move throughout the stores, but this is more about being a visual deterrent and less about watching customers.”
Philip Joens covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Hy-Vee security officers changing their look
