Oakland County commissioners' approval of drone program receives mixed reactions
A controversial decision by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners is now drawing mixed reactions across the community.
Commissioners approved a pilot program Wednesday night that allows the Oakland County Sheriff's Office to use Flock Safety drones on some emergency calls. The meeting was packed, and tensions rose after commissioners voted on the measure before taking public comment, prompting boos from attendees.
The decision sparked frustration among some residents, who said the order of the vote made them feel unheard.
After the meeting, CBS News Detroit followed up with residents across Oakland County to gauge their reaction to the decision.
Richard Caldwell said while he understands why the technology is being considered, the process surrounding the vote is what concerns him most.
"It's good for people's opinion and their voice to be heard," Caldwell said. "People are not getting those answers if they're just going to vote over the people."
The approved pilot program focuses on drones as first responders (DFR). The sheriff's office says the drones are used only for active emergency calls and are intended to help deputies assess situations more quickly, with safeguards in place to protect privacy.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard said residents can review drone usage through a public transparency dashboard.
"We understand the privacy concerns people talk about, but we've already addressed all those," Bouchard said. "You can go to our webpage right now and look at every DFR flight we've flown, where it went, how it came back, what the call was for."
According to the county's transparency dashboard, drones have been used more than 40 times so far this month. The site lists the type of call deputies responded to and the general location of each deployment.
Other residents said they support the program if it helps emergency responders do their jobs more safely and efficiently.
"I'm all with saving people," said Charles Lowe. "Like I said, I'd rather people be safe anyway. I don't have a problem with it."
CBS News Detroit contacted the sheriff's office spokesperson multiple times for additional updates on drone safeguards and usage, but has not yet received a response.