A police officer can run your plates for just about any reason. The officer will need at least reasonable suspicion to stop you.

Can police randomly run license plates?

Police can run your plates any time, even if they're not on the hit list. ... And, police can stop you even if they don't find something. They can pull you over if you've broken a traffic law – or just to check your licence, registration and insurance status, mechanical fitness of the vehicle or whether you're sober.

Why do cops run your plates?

To verify the driver/registered owner has a valid driver's license. When a vehicle license plate is run, we are given the vehicle information (make, model, year, and color), current registration status, registered owner driving status and current warrant status.