Amazon Drone Deliveries? Residents Near a Coming Baltimore-Area Distribution Center Have Big Questions

Residents in the Dundalk area, where online retailing giantAmazon.com is building a distribution center, have plenty of questions and concerns about plans to someday deliver small packages by remote-controlled drones from such facilities.

Amazon is testing delivering packages using drones, CEO Jeff Bezos said on the CBS TV news show “60 Minutes” Sunday, reportsUSA Today.

The idea would be to deliver packages as quickly as possible using the small, unmanned aircraft, through a service the company is calling Prime Air, the CEO said on CBS.

According to WBAL TV, a drone would leave a distribution center such as that planned in Dundalk, fly to the customer's home within 30 minutes and drop off the package on the front porch. Bezos wants to make it a reality in less than five years.

Amazon’s CEO told the television newsmagazine the drones can carry packages that weigh up to 5 pounds from a distribution center, like the state-of-the-art one coming soon near Baltimore, within a range of 10 miles, to a destination.

"I mean, anybody could take the packages, lying in the street, any passerby could come take the packages," Baltimore resident Carolyn Henderson told WBAL.

Residents who spoke to the Baltimore TV station had questions and concerns from packages getting stolen to being hit in the head with one of the drones.

Amazon must still improve the drone technology and win approval from the FAA before the space-age delivery system could begin, WBAL said.