Considering just the example of johannsf here: Comparing the license plate seen at a particular moment to the database of vehicles reported stolen isn’t anywhere near as effective as being able to look through the historical record of scanned plates, looking for the one newly reported stolen. For one thing, there’s a delay between the vehicle being stolen and the police being made aware of that fact. Collecting data during that entire period expands the reach of police vehicles and cameras to all the areas where they were during that gap period. Even if they can’t retroactively intercept the stolen vehicle, they can narrow down the search to the area/direction it was last seen.
