Many police departments are able to run every single plate electronically with cameras and a computer link.
Every plate in camera range is run without the officer having to do anything but drive the car.
They drive up and down parking lots, too.
If a plate is on the wanted list, the system notifies the driver and puts up a pic of the vehicle.
These systems have been around for a very long time and they have gotten smaller and smaller every couple years.
Then of course there’s always the chance that the cop just recognizes the car as one that probably shouldn’t be on the road.
If a plate gets flagged, and the officer does nothing, and that driver turns out to be one of America’s Most Wanted, THAT would be a problem.
Make the stop, check the ID, discover he’s not the one that was flagged, apologize and move on with your day. No harm, no foul.