Altitude Cannabis Dispensary

Altitude, a cannabis dispensary in South Tom’s River, N.J., has drawn a steady stream of customers since opening its doors in January 2025. The retailer is managing its booming business with Hanwha Vision intelligent surveillance technologies, keeping customers and employees safe while also navigating the complex landscape of the cannabis industry.

Security is a critical concern for cannabis businesses due to the high value of its product and a reliance on cash transactions. Operators like Altitude recognize the importance of video surveillance capabilities supporting remote access, integration with point-of-sale systems, and advanced analytics.

In addition to store security, cannabis regulatory requirements vary widely across different states, presenting a challenge for cannabis businesses operating in multiple areas.

Working with Sapphire Risk Advisory Group, Altitude chose a diverse mix of Hanwha Vision cameras equipped with AI-driven advanced analytics, supported by Hanwha’s Wisenet WAVE Video Management System.

“This is a high-risk retail business, involving a large amount of cash and a desirable piece of merchandise,” said Tony Gallo, managing partner at Sapphire. “What I like about Hanwha is they’re always innovating. They look at what the industry needs and then they respond to those needs, whether it’s AI, camera coverage, or analytics.”

“What I like about Hanwha is they’re always innovating. They look at what the industry needs and then they respond to those needs, whether it’s AI, camera coverage, or analytics.”

– Tony Gallo, Managing Partner at Sapphire Risk

Altitude had specific requirements for its surveillance technology and the Sapphire team customized an easy-to-use system that met each of the store’s goals.

“They wanted full coverage throughout the store and all exterior areas,” said Haley Glover, senior security consultant at Sapphire. “In the parking lot we used Hanwha multi-sensor cameras to capture all cars coming in and out, and then 4K cameras on the exterior walls so they can really zoom in and see what is happening. For the interior, their main request was surveillance capabilities over each point-of-sale area to view all transactions between employees and customers. There, we used 4K cameras and then fisheye models with a de-warping feature throughout the location. That creates a great solution when you have wide open areas and want to see an overall view of everything occurring in the dispensary.”

With the new system, staff can quickly review footage and easily identify events, helpful when resolving in-store accidents or addressing customer complaints.

“If an incident occurs or a customer reaches out to us online with a complaint about something, it’s easy to locate specific footage in our POS, transfer it over to the cameras and find the event very quickly,” said Christian Hansen, store manager at Altitude. “We know what we’re looking for and I can do it from my phone or from my computer at home.”

The Hanwha cameras include built-in heat mapping, virtual line detection, and people/vehicle counting analytics, key features the Altitude team found most exciting.

“Heat mapping is important for a dispensary,” Glover said. “It shows you where most of the customers are going when they’re on the showroom floor, providing valuable insights about customer behavior and traffic patterns.”

Hanwha’s Wisenet WAVE VMS mobile application lets the Altitude dispensary team easily monitor and manage store security from any location.

“We’ve had accidents reported, for example, and we’ve been able to easily communicate with people on site or view license plate information,” said Hansen. “It’s all clear as day. We can see everything.”

Glover added that Altitude needed a system that could expand with them as they explore new locations and “With Hanwha’s VMS and mobile app, we were able to give them the flexibility to easily view multiple locations.”

The Hanwha technologies give the Altitude team the peace of mind that comes with knowing their surveillance and business needs are combined into one scalable system – keeping them ready for whatever the market’s future brings.

According to Gallo, Hanwha Vision was the right fit for Altitude in every way.

“They have day-to-day security and can also communicate that there is store-wide camera coverage that can be reviewed quickly,” he said. “The employees and customers understand they are being recorded, which sends the message that maybe this isn’t the right location if you want to do something dishonest. Often I’ll look at where the industry’s going and I’ll see that Hanwha is already there trying to develop what customers need.”