Wegen des Verdachts prüft die Polizei das Kennzeichen.

Because wegen traditionally takes the genitive in standard German, especially in writing and formal speech.

• wegen + genitive
• der Verdacht → genitive: des Verdachts

So:

• wegen des Verdachts = because of the suspicion

You may also hear wegen dem Verdacht in everyday spoken German. That uses the dative, and it is common in conversation, but wegen des Verdachts is the more standard form.

That is the genitive singular form of the masculine noun der Verdacht.

The pattern is:

• nominative: der Verdacht
• genitive: des Verdachts

Many masculine and neuter nouns add -s or -es in the genitive singular. Here, the normal form is Verdachts.

So des Verdachts means of the suspicion.

Because the sentence starts with a different element: Wegen des Verdachts.

In a German main clause, the finite verb must be in second position. This is the usual V2 rule.

Structure here:

1. Wegen des Verdachts
2. prüft
3. die Polizei
4. das Kennzeichen

So even though die Polizei is the subject, it comes after the verb because the first position is already taken by Wegen des Verdachts.

Yes, that is possible.

Both are grammatical:

• Wegen des Verdachts prüft die Polizei das Kennzeichen.
• Die Polizei prüft wegen des Verdachts das Kennzeichen.

The difference is mainly focus or emphasis.

• Starting with Wegen des Verdachts puts the reason in the spotlight.
• Starting with Die Polizei is more neutral and subject-focused.

German word order is more flexible than English, but the verb still has to stay in second position in a main clause.

You know it from meaning and from verb agreement.

• die Polizei is doing the action
• the verb is prüft, which is 3rd person singular
• die Polizei is grammatically singular in German

So:

• die Polizei prüft = the police checks / are checking

Even though English often treats police as plural, German die Polizei is usually a singular collective noun.

Yes, das Kennzeichen is the accusative direct object.

The verb prüfen takes a direct object, so the thing being checked is in the accusative:

• die Polizei prüft was? → das Kennzeichen

For neuter nouns with das, the form is the same in nominative and accusative:

• nominative: das Kennzeichen
• accusative: das Kennzeichen

So the case changes, but the article does not look different here.

Here prüfen means something like:

• to check
• to inspect
• to examine
• to verify

In this sentence, it suggests that the police are checking the registration details or information connected to the license plate.

It is a fairly neutral, standard verb. It does not necessarily mean a physical inspection only; it can also mean checking records or data.

In everyday usage, das Kennzeichen often means a vehicle’s:

• license plate
• registration plate
• sometimes registration number, depending on context

Literally, Kennzeichen can also mean a sign, mark, or distinguishing feature, but with die Polizei and prüfen, the most natural meaning is the vehicle’s license plate / registration.

It can come in different places in the sentence.

For example:

• Wegen des Verdachts prüft die Polizei das Kennzeichen.
• Die Polizei prüft das Kennzeichen wegen des Verdachts.
• Die Polizei prüft wegen des Verdachts das Kennzeichen.

All of these can be grammatical, but they differ in emphasis and naturalness depending on context.

When wegen des Verdachts comes first, it sounds more like: Because of the suspicion, ...

That fronted position often highlights the reason.

This is a difference between German and English.

In German:

• die Polizei is grammatically singular
• so the verb is singular: die Polizei prüft

In English, the police is usually treated as plural:

• The police are checking...

So this is something you just have to learn as a vocabulary/grammar combination in German:

• die Polizei ist / prüft / kommt not
• die Polizei sind / prüfen / kommen

Grammatically, yes. Literally:

• wegen = because of
• des Verdachts = of the suspicion

But in natural English, you would usually not translate the genitive part word-for-word. You would simply say:

• because of the suspicion
• due to suspicion
• because there is suspicion

So the genitive is important for German grammar, but you usually do not need to mirror it literally in English.