noun
cops; police
Slang term for the police, used in casual or rough speech. Often carries a slightly derogatory or dismissive tone.
サツが来る前に逃げよう。
Let's get out of here before the cops come.
あいつ、サツに捕まったらしいよ。
I heard that guy got caught by the cops.
警察 is the standard, neutral term for the police. サツ is a slang abbreviation used in informal contexts.
Abbreviation of 警察 (けいさつ, police), with the reading さつ taken from the second character. The katakana spelling サツ is typical for slang abbreviations.