As Hy-Vee rolls out armed security in KC area, shoppers won’t see changes at other stores
As Hy-Vee grocery stores plan to roll out full-time, armed security guards at Kansas City locations in the new year, shoppers will not see the same presence at other local stores.
Cosentino’s, the family-run chain that operates 30 stores across the metro, will continue to use private security and off-duty police officers to protect stores, instead of a new in-house force like their Hy-Vee counterparts.
“Cosentino’s Food Stores is committed to serving the communities where we do business,” the company said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “We base our decisions on our customer and employee needs and currently we do not have an immediate need to alter our security measures. If we do see a need in the future, we will reevaluate to best serve our customers and employees.”
Hy-Vee unveiled plans Wednesday to create its own “retail security teams” at locations in all states where the grocery chain operates, including Missouri and Kansas. The new security employees will be trained under a company policy developed by current Hy-Vee retail security leaders and law enforcement officials.
Hy-Vee stores already employ private security and off-duty police officers to be present in some stores, but the new team will bring all security in-house and those employees will work for the company full time, said Tina Potthoff, the company’s senior vice president of communications.
There are members of the Kansas City Police Department who work off-duty security at grocery stores, said Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman for the department said. She was unable to provide further details, however, saying the number of officers were not available and that it fluctuates because of availability.
At Hy-Vee, the new security teams will start at locations in Wisconsin, South Dakota and Minnesota before the company works its way south, but Potthoff said Wednesday the program likely will be put in place at Kansas City area stores sometime in 2022.
The company previewed the new retail security officers’ look in a video released Wednesday that showed officers clad police-style uniforms and equipment, including black vests, sidearms, tasers and body cameras.
When Hy-Vee expands its armed security force to stores in Kansas City, it will have to get the company’s uniforms approved and its security employees will need to pass a criminal history record check and a written test to obtain a private security license.
The first line of the main body of the instructional manual says: “A private security/proprietary private investigator is not a police officer. You do not have the training of a police officer, you do not have the duties of a police officer, and you do not have the same powers as a police officer according to the law.”
Armed security employees must qualify annually at the police department’s pistol range and can only carry the weapon they qualified with at the range.
