What is the origin of "cop" as slang?

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Why: I am watching "Dexter." Quinn says Dexter doesn't understand any of his dirty dealings because he's not a cop.

Answer: Nobody knows! Cop the noun is almost certainly a shortening of copper, which in turn derives from cop the verb. Copper as slang for policeman is first found in print in 1846. It probably comes from the verb to cop - meaning "to seize, capture, or snatch" - dating from 1704.

The derivation of the verb is unclear. Most trace it to the French caper and to the Latin capere, "to seize, take." Other English words derived from capere include capture. Thus, a copper is one who seizes. An alternative theory is that to cop comes from the Dutch kapen, meaning to take or to steal.

The word cop has other meanings as well, all connected to "catch" or "snatch":

• To cop out meaning "to withdraw or escape, or to evade responsibility"
• To cop it meaning "to be punished or get caught"
• To cop a plea is to try to catch a lesser punishment by admitting to a lesser crime
• A fair cop means "to be caught in the act"

As with many words, there are several stories floating around positing various origins, almost certainly false. The notion that cop is an acronym for "Constable On Patrol" is nonsense. Similarly, the word did not arise because police uniforms in New York (or London or wherever) had copper buttons, copper badges, or anything of the sort.

The term cop has had derogatory implications. J. Edgar Hoover, the longtime head of the FBI, disliked being called "top cop."

Source: The Straight Dope

The More You Know: Some suggestions about the slang term fuzz:

• American Tramp and Underworld Slang (1931) suggests that "fuzz" was derived from "fuss," meaning that the cops were "fussy" over trifles.
• A mispronunciation or mishearing of the warning "Feds!" (Federal agents)
• Etymologist Eric Partridge wonders if "fuzz" might have come from the beards of early police officers.