Concerns from Oakland County residents remain after drone program approval

In early April, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved a nine-month pilot program to deploy drones equipped with license plate readers in the county. However, residents shared concerns about privacy and cost.

It was the same concerns residents expressed at the commission meeting on April 30.

"It's almost like Flock knows how unpopular they are. It's almost like they know they can't survive without lies, deceits and secret deals," said a resident during public comment. 

"Education shows that drones can be considered invasive species to our neighborhood skies, privacy, etc. Birds are endangered by them, some people are afraid of them delivering packages flying so low," said another resident. 

The pilot program would be free for Oakland County, but if it's approved for the following two years, it would cost the county $2.5 million. 

"It seems to me that if we want to fix the budget, we have to cancel these Flock contracts," said a resident. 

At one point during Thursday night's meeting, disagreement between commissioners and the chair devolved into shouting. 

CBS News Detroit reached out to Sheriff Michael Bouchard and the Board of Commissioners on Friday, but no one was available to comment.