NYPD haters have turned to a more cowardly method of taking out city cops — by loosening or completely removing lug nuts from their person and work cars to try causing fatal crashes, The Post has learned.

The most recent example of the anti-cop sabotage was discovered around 8 p.m. on Tuesday by an officer about to enter his private vehicle on De Kalb Avenue near Patrol Borough Brooklyn North headquarters.

The cop first noticed his windshield wipers had been tampered with, prompting him to give the car a quick once-over after remembering previous instances where lug nuts had been loosened on patrol cars.

He saw that all four tires had loosened lug nuts, and immediately alerted his supervisor. A team of officers were sent to check other police vehicles in the area.

Investigators found that lug nuts were loosened on another officer’s personal car parked in a “Police Only” zone, as well as a civilian employee’s car which had its lugs completely removed.

Police then searched parking lots in the area around Patrol Borough Brooklyn North Headquarters and found that lug nuts had been loosened on two unmarked NYPD vehicles in a lot used by police supervisors.

“Things have gotten so bad between the police and the community,” a law enforcement source told The Post, referring to the rift caused by the execution of two cops in retaliation for the police killing of Eric Garner. “I’ve never seen it this bad.”

“They’re doing this obviously in an attempt to hurt police officers,” he continued. “By loosening the lug nuts, the tires could fall off the car, and the cops could crash their car.”

“Is that what these people want? Somebody could die.”

Police brass sent out a citywide memo warning cops in all precincts to inspect both personal and department vehicles before each use, law enforcement sources said.

The memo also encourages cops to be on the lookout for suspicious characters lingering around cars known to belong to police personnel.

“Any person found in possession of any tools that would facilitate the removal of lug nuts should be detained for questioning,” the directive reads.