Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US Und.) an illegal racket based on a political project.

1928

J. O’Connor Broadway Racketeers 95: The political rackets are known as ‘Pols’ and many a crooked scheme is hatched on a ‘Pol’ angle. [...] Collecting money for a summer camp for poor children [...] is a favorite ‘Pol’ game.

2. (US) a politician.

1934		L. Berg Prison Nurse (1964) 41: I’d have thought you must have one hell of a big drag with some ‘pol’ to rate all that attention.
1942		Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Sl.
1964		Fletcher Knebel in Safire’s Political Dict. (1978) n.p.: ‘Pol’ is to politician what ‘cop’ is to policeman [R].
1989		H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 307: pol. Politician.
1992		N. George ‘Niggas with Attitude’ in Buppies, B-Boys, Baps and Bohos (1994) 157: A city government run by a prototypical Negro pol.
2009		J. Stahl Pain Killers 189: It’s stinky enough down there without marching in the pols from Sacramento.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 155: A putrid pol soon to implode.