I heard the phrase today "cop-out". I got to thinking about it and wondering about its Origins. seems kind of complicated, but similar to plea bargaining or evading responsibility.

google turned this up "cop out. by 1942, noun ("a cowardly escape, an evasion" ) and verb ("sneak off, escape, give up without trying" ), American English slang, perhaps from cop a plea (c. 1925) "plead guilty to lesser charges," which is probably from northern British slang cop "to catch" (a scolding, etc.)”

the more I think about it the more it could mean "off the hook" for cops who misbehave. I couldn't find any Origins which indicated that meaning, but it seemed really appropriate for current times.