Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US) a police officer; the police in general.

1924		in L.A. Times 30 Jan. A3: A ‘mob’ can ‘beat a pap’ to the ‘leather’ and get away with it with the ordinary ‘fuzz’ lookin’ on. But it’s a twenty-to-one shot when the ‘cannon copper’s are wise.
1937		‘Boxcar Bertha’ Sister of the Road (1975) 219: The fuzz (the squad)! Ditch the fireworks.
1946		J.E. Dadswell Hey, Sucker 85: ‘Fuz’ [...] is the carnival word for police.
1949		‘I’ll Gyp You Every Time’ in C. Hamilton Men of the Und. 178: The first thing he’d do was to go to the ‘fuzz’ — the police officer on the midway.
1959		W. Burroughs Naked Lunch (1968) 20: He hangs three fags before the fuzz nail him.
1959		A. Zugsmith Beat Generation 32: Grabbing Jester’s arm, he hauled him to his feet. ‘Leggo, Fuzz!’ the boy cried out.
1966		T. Keyes All Night Stand 92: The fuzz carting him off when they bust up the riot.
1971		R.D. Pharr S.R.O. (1998) 30: ‘The bastid risks his neck [...] to tip off the dope peddlers when the fuzz comes to call’.
1972		Nova Apr. 83: The fuzz here is really scared about drugs because of the American scene.
1980		L. Mantell Murder and Chips 100: Reacted straight away. Said he didn’t talk to fuzz.
1981		J. Ellroy Brown’s Requiem 13: Whistle once if anyone enters the garage, twice if the fuzz show up.
1984		B. Ellem Doing Time 1289: fuzz: police.
1991		(con. 1920s) O.D. Brooks Legs 112: One big fuzz grabbed me by the shoulders.
1999		Indep. Rev. 11 Aug. 6: Here are the fuzz! Have some fizz!
2000		Indep. Rev. 13 Jan. 1: Along which the fuzz must have charged en route to the bust.
2001		‘Randy Everhard’ Tattoo of a Naked Lady 105: Lloydie-Boy don’t pay off the fuzz.
2010		L. Redhead Thrill City [ebook] Fleeing from the fuzz had made me kinda thirsty.
2010		J. Ellroy Hilliker Curse 31: The fuzz started cracking down on dope-script docs.
2013		K. Sampson Killing Pool 160: As soon as the sirens started getting closer, and the Fuzz were on the scene, he scattered.
2013		Mail & Guardian (SA) 30 May 🌐 I ended up in the Dockyard Fuzz (officially known as the SA Naval Police).
2017		G. Gilmore Headland [ebook] ‘Some old bird with bothing to do but call the fuzz’.
2019		A. Parks February’s Son 170: ‘Are you the fuzz?’ she asked.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 45: [Marilyn] Monroe and the county fuzz.

2. (US) a detective.

1938		D. Runyon ‘Cemetery Bait’ in Runyon on Broadway (1954) 515: A private fuzz often employed by big insurance companies [...] A fuzz being a way of saying a detective.
1944		D. Runyon Runyon à la Carte 126: A fuzz being a way of saying a plain-clothes copper.
2010		J. Ellroy Hilliker Curse 14: Private fuzz ran pricey. A flatfoot fleet safeguarded me.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 52: I saw three big squarejohns in gray suits. They vilely vibed fuzz.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 6: Reported to the fuzz, the DIs might have thrown cold water on the bonfire.