Allen residents could see more automated license plate readers in the community in the future, Allen Police Chief Steve Dye said.

Dye shared an update on the city’s automated license plate reader program at a June 23 Allen City Council work session meeting.

The gist: The Allen Police Department uses automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, as a tool to enhance public safety, according to Dye’s presentation. The readers can support patrol operations and assist in criminal operations by identifying vehicles associated with outstanding warrants, criminal investigations, Amber Alerts and other law enforcement purposes, the presentation states.

The readers work by capturing images of license plates and vehicles, and converting the images into searchable text that can be used to search law enforcement databases for both the license plate number and a description of the vehicle, Dye said.

Diving in deeper: The department’s ALPR network includes 34 stationary cameras, including 13 Flock Safety cameras and 21 Motorola Solutions cameras, as well as readers installed on police vehicles, he said.

A Birkenstock store is planned for Allen Premium Outlets, a new project filing states.

The specifics: The project filing shows work is planned to finish out a roughly 2,500-square-foot retail space near the northwest corner of the shopping center, with construction listed as occurring between July 15 and Aug. 15. German footwear brand Birkenstock offers shoes for men, women and children.

• 820 W. Stacy Road, Ste. 173A, Allen

The $30.8 million East-West Connector is now open at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, while Dave & Buster’s plans to debut its largest North Texas location in McKinney. Check out six trending stories from Community Impact’s Dallas-Fort Worth coverage areas.

1. East-West Connector at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport opens

2. Houston-based bar Kirby Ice House to open Plano location

3. Dave & Buster's to debut 40,000-square-foot McKinney arcade, restaurant in July

4. On the Border shutters all company-owned locations

5. Prosper council approves tennis-themed development

6. $2.5M purchase secures downtown Plano land for potential future redevelopment

The State Board of Education is nearing the finish line in its massive rewrite of what Texas public school students will learn about world and state history.

The details: The curriculum overhaul would shift the focus in social studies classes to a Texas-centered approach, deemphasizing lessons about world cultures and injecting more content about Christianity’s role in the founding of the United States.

Some educators and students have expressed concerns that the proposal lacks significant teachings about civil rights history, Japanese internment in the 1940s and people of color’s contributions to the nation. Meanwhile, Republican board members have pushed back, saying that the rewrite is necessary to teach students about American exceptionalism and Texas heritage in an attempt to undo what they called “a watering-down of American history.”

What's happening: The board has spent the bulk of its meetings this week making amendments to a 143-page social studies proposal, which includes hundreds of standards that students would be expected to learn each year. If adopted June 26, the new requirements would take effect in 2030.