Amazon drone delivery sparking privacy concerns in Metro Detroit

(FOX 2) - Near the end of March, the Bloomfield Township Police Department put out a post on social media addressing the growing number of worries from residents spying the drones buzzing through the sky.

The source is Amazon's fulfillment center in Pontiac, which deploys over 140 to 170 daily trips within an 8-mile radius.

With the e-commerce giant's foray into drone delivery only expanding, the department said it would answer any questions from residents bringing concerns to them.

Big picture view:

The biggest concern that residents brought to the police department was about privacy, the agency's community relations officer said.

"A lot of people are concerned that there’s cameras on these drones looking into their backyards and into their homes and basically being an invasion of privacy," said Officer Heather Glowacz.

"Essentially, these drones are flying at 70 miles an hour," Glowacz said. "The pictures they are getting are blurred because they’re going so fast and they’re just using them to avoid objects like birds or anything else in the area that might be in the way."

Local perspective:

The comments left on the police department's post ranged from both commentary to questions.

The department said it met with Amazon Air to ask questions from the community. The drones make use of a lot of sophisticated tech that goes into piloting and navigating the deliveries. 

FOX 2 asked some residents as well what they thought:

"I think it’s pretty cool in my opinion. I think it’s convenient for people who can’t get to a hub center or who miss their delivery, I think it’s a brilliant idea actually," said Kiera Stevenson. 

"Actually, I don’t have a problem with it," said Gary Gunterman. "I don’t think they will invade on our privacy and if I can get something quicker I’m all for it."

What they're saying:

Amazon released a statement as concerns about the drones have mounted in Oakland County.

"Prime Air is designed to safely deliver packages to customers in under an hour using state-of-the-art drone technology. The service complements Amazon's existing delivery network and offers a fast way to meet customer demand while reducing road congestion through electrically powered drones. Amazon customers in Bloomfield Township and eligible areas can order fast drone delivery on tens of thousands of everyday items."
 
"We are always listening to feedback and we engage with the communities where we operate. The privacy of our customers and communities is something we take very seriously. Any data we collect when making deliveries is used to help ensure safe operations."