Three years after Hy-Vee announced that its officers would wear uniforms, carry handguns, pepper spray and stun guns and wear body cameras, it appears to be backing the measures.
A Hy-Vee spokeswoman acknowledged the change after a Des Moines Register reporter discovered Thursday that security officers at the downtown Des Moines store had traded in their uniforms for polo shirts and jackets and were no longer armed — as they had been the day before.
Tina Potthoff said the police will wear polo shirts. But he declined to comment further on the change in security measures.
“They will be wearing a different look,” he said, then added in a note, “We don’t disclose our security protocols or procedures. And we don’t know which vendor does.”
West Des Moines-based Hy-Vee announced its transition to armed, uniformed officers in December 2021, drawing national attention.
“The goal of our store security program is to prevent crime and violence,” Hy-Vee spokeswoman Christina Gayman said. “Our police will walk through all the shops, but this is about avoiding sightings and not seeing customers.”
Philip Joens covers commercial 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 the Des Moines Register: Hy-Vee corporate officers are changing their look