Hy-Vee will be placing security officers in stores as part of the grocer’s ongoing efforts to ensure the health and safety of its customers and employees, the company announced in a news release.

According to the release, the Hy-Vee Retail Security teams will be in stores across its eight-state region. The officers are already in some stores, although the release did not specify which ones.

Jeremy Gosch, Hy-Vee’s president and chief operating officer, said the move is part of the company’s history of doing anything for its customers.

“And these officers will be held to that same standard,” he said in the release. “These officers will help provide another layer of safety and security for our customers, and will work alongside our store employees to deliver the same helpful smiles and outstanding service everyone expects at their local store.”

The officers, many of whom come from law enforcement backgrounds, will be in stores during operating hours. They are specially trained to defuse situations to protect customers and employees, and have undergone training designed by Hy-Vee security leaders alongside law enforcement partners, company officials said in the release.

The release did not specify what the catalyst was behind the decision, or whether it was the result of a single incident or series of incidents.

Email and telephone messages left for company officials seeking more information were not returned before deadline.

While some officers are currently in stores, more are being trained so they can begin serving in other stores across the company’s territory in the near future. Hy-Vee officials said they also are continuing to recruit candidates for the company’s Retail Security Team.