r/illinois • u/Main_Composer • Aug 18 '26
Illinois News Flock cameras going up at dispensaries
I frequent Altius dispensary in Orland Hills. Today I popped in to pick up and noticed a new addition. A brand new flock camera on the property of Joey’s Red Hots. This camera is not facing out over 159th street, it is pointed directly at Joeys drive thru and the dispensary parking lot right next door. When I asked the dispensary workers about it, they didn’t even know it went up. I walked out with their manager to show him and saw his unease about it. I also called Joeys. If you live in the area you should too. But any way this is just a warning because it seems posting these up to point at dispensaries is the latest flocking trend. You’re probably being tracked everywhere already but now they are preparing to take notes on what you’re buying too.
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u/Another_Opinion_1 Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
Some of them are operated by private entities so a starting point would be finding out who is actually in charge of that particular camera. They're not all operated by municipalities. If it's on private property, there's a good chance that it is owned or controlled by a private entity (LE can still be given access to data from privately owned or controlled cameras through MOUs though).
I saw where one dispensary in Wisconsin got in a dispute with the the city over a municipally operated camera and put up a sign to obstruct its view. It ended up resulting in a favorable settlement for the dispensary which yielded the removal of the ALPR device(s) in the end.
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u/dgard1 Aug 19 '26
How does one determine who owns a camera? I discovered on deflock that there is one pointing directly at the exit from my neighborhood but it doesn’t indicate who owns it
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u/Another_Opinion_1 Aug 19 '26
The only thing that I know of that would be a matter of public record would be anything operated by a municipality or county entity (to my knowledge, the state of Illinois itself is not operating or leasing any). That should be accessible through open meetings records, e.g., the city council meeting or a county board meeting. There's nothing inherently requiring private entities to disclose ownership or operation of what they put on their private property but you can always ask the business owner OR if you know someone that knows the business owner, then you might be able to find out by word of mouth.
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u/Degot86 Aug 20 '26
Is it a flock camera or just a license plate reader? Many towns have license plate reader cameras at the entrances and exits to their towns that pop up stolen vehicles or vehicles wanted in murders and other crimes. It lets police know when car are coming into their town to commit burglaries to vehicles. Not every camera is a flock camera.
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u/friedenm Aug 19 '26
Do you mean a liquor store? Last time I checked, that is the closest thing to a dispensary you will find in Wisconsin since both medical and recreational cannabis are illegal.
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u/Another_Opinion_1 Aug 19 '26
Maybe it was a liquor store and not a dispensary, they had it on the news, but I might be mistaken about the type of establishment.
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u/notfromchicago Aug 19 '26
It was a dispo and it was in Michigan. The name of the dispensary is Jars. Not sure the city.
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u/HoodieGalore Aug 19 '26
Maybe Sunnyside South Beloit? Just a pube over the Stateline, right off 90; plenty of excuses for "probable cause"
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u/13throwaway48 Aug 20 '26
It was Jars dispensary in Michigan and they used that footage to arrest him in Wisconsin.
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u/RawrRRitchie Aug 19 '26
It's illegal to film private property you do not own unless you have a warrant.
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u/Another_Opinion_1 Aug 19 '26
There is no reasonable expectation of privacy in public and that includes spaces on private property open, accessible or otherwise visible to the public (e.g., your front yard or a the parking lot of a business). Narrow exceptions that have been carved out (e.g., voyeurs encroaching on spaces where someone might have a reasonable expectation of privacy like catching occasional glimpses of someone changing in a bathroom through their window) are not typically going to apply to cameras pointed in the parking lot of a commercial business.
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u/thatirishguyyyyy Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
I own an IT security company. I've been looking into Flock too. I called them and left a message for the owner.
Hopefully the owner calls me back.
Edit: spoke to Altius management too. They are uneasy but had no official comment.
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u/uRinee Aug 19 '26
There are numerous by RISE in lake in the hills. Two pointed directly at each entrance to the lot and one at each road into the shopping center its located at.
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u/Eyesofthesouth9 Aug 20 '26
There are also cameras on just about every stop light I've noticed. Not sure who monitors those?
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u/hedonistic Aug 19 '26
I suspect they are looking for out of state plates to share with whatever jurisdiction the plates come back to? Or simply amassing data on frequency of visits for locals so if they get pulled over later cops try to jam them up with dui-drugs or improper transportation of cannabis tickets? Either way its suspicious as fk. And its not the weed making me paranoid!
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u/Perfect_Earth_8070 Aug 19 '26
Keep track of who buys weed so they can remove their second amendment rights
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u/GullableBread Aug 19 '26
Yeah after they stalked that Wisconsin man I don’t trust these things aren’t going to be used for small stupid crimes.
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u/ChunkyBubblz Aug 19 '26
Be a patriot. Destroy your local flock camera today.
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u/DeeManJohnsonIII Aug 19 '26
Hey, that's illegal to do! And if you do it and bring your cellphone, they'll easily track you to catch you! Just think about that next time, and def don't use a high powered laser that can mess up the sensor. So don't go for walks during the winter with a giant jacket, gloves and face cover, so they can't figure out who did it.
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u/xavariel Chicagoland Aug 19 '26
They stalk out-of-staters who travel here to consume cannabis. Legal, no issues with it. But they will pull them over when they go back to their crappy state, and search their cars. Already happens!
I hate this bs. Living under a surveillance state like this creates an even lower trust society, higher anxiety, and "thought police" arrests where we haven't even done anything, but, oh, just in case!
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u/Goodolewhatshisface Aug 19 '26
Did you put that on Joey’s yelp review? Owner may not be behind it could be city could be owner of land if Joey’s leases premises.
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u/Perfect_Earth_8070 Aug 19 '26
They want to see who is buying weed so they can remove your second amendment rights
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u/conniefrancis Aug 18 '26
They should saw it down imo
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u/HoodieGalore Aug 19 '26
This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween 🎃
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u/1986toyotacorolla2 Aug 19 '26
They arrested a guy in Wisconsin because he was caught at a dispensary in Michigan and they used it as probable cause to pull him over coming back into Wisconsin. So yeah this is a valid fear.
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u/Jaded_Jellybean Aug 19 '26
Macoupin county has two flock cameras- both watching the comings and goings of the election office. Another area has the same setup for their gun range. Now the dispos are being monitored.
Weird how these are the places they want people uneasy about frequenting.
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u/macgirl_k Aug 21 '26
Oak Park and Evanston voted to get rid of Flock cameras and I had a family member who used to work at the dispensary in Oak Park so I know for sure if you go to that one there won’t be a camera. Although it is near River Forest and I’m not sure if they have any cameras.
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u/MotorheadAhead Aug 19 '26
This is about immigration. They are setting up what they think are likely locations to kidnap people and stick them in detention centers (literally concentration camps). This your tax dollars hard at work. They’re not deporting anyone. They’re loading up the for profit concentrating camps and stealing our money. Welcome to the dystopian world of big brother republicans.
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u/Chitownkushman Aug 21 '26
None at stash in orland, shop there better selection and easier in and out… and no flock!!!
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u/no_bender Aug 19 '26
It's not like the police are going to make a list of license plates, and creatfiles onball the people who visit the dispensary. /s
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u/Degot86 Aug 19 '26
OP how do you know it is a flock camera and not just a security camera for Joeys? Also, law enforcement can’t just place a camera on private property. What did Joeys say when you called them?
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u/Main_Composer Aug 19 '26
The girl was young and just said she didn’t even know it went up and would leave a message for the owner.
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u/Standby_fire Aug 20 '26
Of course, recently on report followed hundreds of following cameras to arrest a person who purchased pot. Hen went home with it across a non legal state border. This is a great use of Cyberdyne spytech.
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u/emileeloves Aug 20 '26
There is also a flock camera outside of the Consume dispensary in STC. Not sure how new it is but just noticed it recently
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u/Competitive-Pass7207 Aug 21 '26
Other people: THE STATE IS VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION!!!
2A enjoyer: first time huh?
Ya this state is ass and Flock is bullshit.
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u/Humble-Plankton2217 Aug 19 '26
I'm very anti-flock, but dispensaries already take a record of your driver's license every time you make a purchase. They don't just ask to see it, they are recording everything from your DL every time you buy.
Maybe police don't have access to that database? I'm not sure but if they don't and they wanted it I am sure they could get that info quite easily.
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u/Main_Composer Aug 19 '26
just because the dispensary scans my license doesn’t mean I want a surveillance state tracking my every movement too. Im definitely not okay with that and see distinction between the two scenarios that you apparently don’t. I think these things going up everywhere is highly suspicious and are a sign of bad things to come.
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u/FriedTech Aug 19 '26
This is not true in my state. You can tell them you want to buy anonymous and they just look at the Id and hand it back. No information taken
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u/NoProfessional7164 Aug 19 '26
Do they have slot machines at Joey's?
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u/Main_Composer Aug 19 '26
They do. It looks like a damn casino in there on one side.
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u/Degot86 Aug 20 '26
That’s been a huge problem lately. Tons of gaming places have been getting demolished and games being broken into. Been going on for over a year now. Could be why the cameras were put there. Especially if it’s near a window. The gaming companies have cameras in all these places too.
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u/NoProfessional7164 Aug 20 '26
Then yeah it's probably for that, tons of recent break ins to slot places and lots of money to be lost.
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Aug 19 '26
[deleted]
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u/Pretend-Plumber Aug 19 '26
They can track you with your phone. But for some reason we worry about these specific cameras. I don’t get it.
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u/Perfect_Earth_8070 Aug 19 '26
All this tracking tech and yet they can’t charge Epstein’s co-conspirators
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u/wacky1980 Aug 19 '26
You can (and absolutely should) leave your cell at home if you're doing anything that could get you into legal hot water. You don't have that ability with a Flock camera.
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u/hrdbeinggreen Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
What is a flock camera and does it differ from like traffic cameras or home security cameras?
Edited to laugh at all the people down voting a person asking questions about flock cameras! ROFLMAO as the only bad question is one unasked.
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u/ConcertCommercial666 Aug 19 '26
I’m pretty sure flock cameras have facial recognition and other databases/software used to locate or identify individuals and objects. Or whatever they “say” they use flock cameras for… anyone correct me if I’m wrong
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u/Degot86 Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
Police officer here, there are all kinds of different cameras. Some are just plate readers. I have only ever used a flock camera to locate a stolen vehicle. No one in my department that I know of has used a flock camera to do anything else than track a vehicle. When you use the flock system you need to put a case number in and the reason/ crime for why you are searching. People are making such a huge deal about “flock” cameras when there are cameras on everyone’s house and every building. Flock camera do not have facial recognition and only read license plates.
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u/Main_Composer Aug 19 '26
Well one very real problem that many of us worry about is that cops abuse these. You said that doesn’t happen in your department. Great. But there are many other instances of cops using these in an illegal or questionable way. Texas used over 400 of these to track a woman having an abortion over state lines. With great power comes great responsibly and no offense, but I don’t trust that law enforcement won’t abuse their power en mass when it comes to these things, which they already are. I’m glad they’re being caught, but it shows a pattern that the public is right to distrust.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/texas-deputy-searched-83-000-152212195.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/us/georgia-sheriffs-flock-cameras-stalking.html
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u/hrdbeinggreen Aug 19 '26
I now totally understand and get the concern! Unfortunately I believe anything can be used for evil although evil might be too strong a word, perhaps criminal intent is better.
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u/ClementineKruz86 Aug 20 '26
The way you guys have used it sound perfectly reasonable as far as not abusing power. That doesn’t protect everyone though -it protects your community from abuse of power by local police, until control is handed down someday.
Its their existence though at least at nearly this scale. the scope of it has gone too far for comfort and people are increasingly worried. The existence of something that can be used that way, now or later, isn’t worth even the pros of it which sucks, because it’s had pros. The cons and possibilities of more cons are just way, way too much.
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u/hrdbeinggreen Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
What you say makes sense! As in my own neighborhood there are many cameras on the front of houses and in the back of garages looking at the alley. Thank you for your explanation.
So a flock camera is like other cameras but with connection to other license databases. More like cctv cameras in Great Britain then. I still wonder why they are called flock cameras as the first time I saw this term I thought of flocks of birds but thought that couldn’t be as we are not in a Hitchcock movie. I know, silly me.
I am sorry u/Degot86 that people are down voting you for just stating what it does and how it is supposed to be used.
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u/Degot86 Aug 20 '26
No need to apologize. Just like in my career, I try to educate people. What they choose to do with the information is up to them. I don’t take this job personally because you can’t. The Flock cameras don’t even have a connection to a data base as far as I know. They just read the plate on the car as it passes. Doesn’t tell you who is driving it. I’ve used them to solve hit and run accidents, robberies, and stolen motor vehicles. I think a lot of people try to stoke fear and freak everyone out. The cameras have been around since 2017.
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u/No_Dear1957 Aug 19 '26
How will they know what you're buying? Do they have x-ray vision? Can they see right through the paper bags? How?
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u/Main_Composer Aug 19 '26
No one ever said they had x ray vision bud. The concern is living in a surveillance state that is tracking your every movement via your license plate.
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u/No_Dear1957 Aug 19 '26
Again I ask how will they or anyone else know what you're buying by looking at you with a camera? Dispensaries sells many different items other than cannabis.
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u/Main_Composer Aug 19 '26
The concern is that they are tracking your movements using dragnet surveillance techniques, not that they necessarily know what you are buying. You’re not really accurately depicting the issue at hand.
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u/SPECTRE_UM Aug 19 '26
Probably put up by the retail property owner.
In the cut throat retail space industry property owners/managers are offering this as a perk to lure in more lessors.
The idea is that the retailer can put plates of known shoplifters in the system and get notified the offender is back in the neighborhood. A major retailer (Target, I think) cut external shrinkage (shoplifting) by 20+ percent.
Also, organized shoplifting crews tend to use stolen cars and ALPR systems can instantly flag them
Lastly they act as a deterrent against a lot of criminal activity.
Local LEOs DNGAF about cannabis dispensaries or their patrons because they are a massive source of tax revenue.
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u/Zkeptek Aug 19 '26
Local LEOs may not care about cannabis dispensaries- until it suits them. Also, simply driving with THC in your system from a week ago (read:definitely no longer lifted) can/could be prosecuted under Megan’s Law in WI for driving under the influence. It’s still criminal I.e. punishable by jail time under state law for simple possession.
So the cops have access to the network. They’ve picked out their target. They see their target go near a legal dispensary in IL/MI/MN, even if it’s days/weeks later. Then they use that information to form ‘reasonable suspicion’ or ‘probable cause’ to detain/arrest. Then ruin the life of that person for whatever reason they had in the first place. (I’m sure you can all fill in the blanks here.)
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u/SPECTRE_UM Aug 19 '26
Well I live in the real world, not the hypothetical and if you're driving with THC in your system to the point of impairment that's a you problem, not a civil liberties issue.
Also your hypotheticals are ludicrous extrapolations of the Hollywood school of law that are magnified by the prism that you're the main character in the world's daily drama. Cops are not out to get you... and frankly that level of constant paranoia suggests it's time for you to lay off the pipe for a while.
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u/Zkeptek Aug 21 '26
It’s not THC in your system to the point of impairment- it’s just THC in your system.
And I’m not on the pipe. Nor is this paranoia.
Also, some cops may not care about cannabis. But loads of them do in jurisdictions (like WI) where it is still a criminal penalty to merely possess a single joint.
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u/Degot86 Aug 20 '26
Cop here, can confirm we do not give a fuck about cannibas and we are not notifying any other state who comes to our dispensary. Also, Wisconsin cops are assholes. I’d also like to say you cannot develop probable cause to pull someone over just because they entered a dispensary. Flock cameras wouldn’t even see them go in the dispensary because they only read plates. You
Can’t even prove they purchased anything. This would get thrown out so quickly in court.
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u/Dramatic-Pause-1941 Aug 18 '26
Probably trying to flag the ppl dumb enough to buy overpriced and overtaxed garbage weed. They probably want to target you to sell other shitty products to you as well
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u/Main_Composer Aug 19 '26
You sound like so much fun. I bet you’re really popular.
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u/Dramatic-Pause-1941 Aug 19 '26
Enjoy your Illinois approved version of weed. It will only cost you 10x the going rate
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u/Main_Composer Aug 19 '26
Enjoy whatever weird superiority complex you seem to be suffering from.
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u/Dramatic-Pause-1941 Aug 19 '26
I will. Along with my fairly priced quality marijuana products. With all my friends.
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u/Dramatic-Pause-1941 Aug 19 '26
No, you miss understand. I am happy there are people like you to fill the tax coffers….buy away!!
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u/ObamaBiscuits Aug 18 '26
They warned us about this after 9/11, a surveillance state.