Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. in the context of the genitals.

2. (US Und.) a go-between who ‘arranges’ security for criminals in a given area; a ‘fixer’, thus patch (money), pay-offs, bribes.

1949		in C. Hamilton Men of the Und. 182: Once the local officials are ‘arranged’ by the patch, nothing short of murder could close up the show.
1961		J. Scarne Complete Guide to Gambling 687: Patch – a carnival front man who squares complaints with players and the police.
1974		G. Radano Stories Cops Only Tell Each Other 201: ‘[I]f you do get together and make a patch I want to be in on it.’ ‘There won’t be no patches,’ insisted the lieutenant. ‘But [...] if it happens you get a share’ .
1999		E. Bunker Mr Blue 87: The ‘patch’ was a kind of bag man. The street hustlers, pimps, confidence men, whores, gamblers and boosters who paid off the vice and bunco details all gave their payoff to a ‘patch’, and he dealt with the police bag man.
2012		W. Keyser ‘Carny Lingo’ in http://goodmagic.com 🌐 Patch — Carnival employee who handles payoffs to local police and settles customer complaints arising from rigged games [ibid.] Patch Money — Money used by the patch to induce police officers to turn a blind eye.

3. (orig. US) any form of insignia as worn by criminal or youth gangs, e.g. the Hell’s Angels, US prison gangs, N.Z. street gangs etc.

1971		J. Mandelkau Buttons 81: The patch consisted of the top rocker – three inches wide, red on white – HELL’S ANGELS. The bottom rocker said, ENGLAND and between them I carried the small death’s head.
1987		(con. 1967) Bunch & Cole Reckoning for Kings (1989) 64: A dude that don’t ride and don’t carry the patch.
1989		Thomson & Neilson Sharing the Challenge 261: Full acceptance into the Epitaph Riders gang entitled the member to wear a backpatch displaying the gang insignia. The patch is regarded as a mark of esteem and is highly prized among gang members. To become a’patch member’ of a gang, a recruit first had to become a ‘prospective member’, riding with the gang for a probationary period [DNZE].
1992		Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 43: Patch A gang insignia.
1992		Meek ‘Gangs in New Zealand Prisons’ in Aus. & N.Z. Jrnl Criminology 260: Once worthy of sporting the gang’s ‘colours’, a ‘patch’ member has [...] an important leadership role within the gang.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 136/2: patch n. 1 the insignia of a gang, sewn onto the back of a gang-member’s jacket (also known as one’s ‘colours’), representative of full membership of a gang [...] patch member a full member of a gang.
2021		S.A. Crosby Razorblade Tears 63: ‘You both want your patches, don’t ya?’.