He went from behind bars to lifting barbells. A fugitive...

The first day of the city’s placard crackdown was more of a letdown — with city workers openly flouting the rules as enforcement agents turned a blind eye.

Cops were expected to enforce new laws on Monday that explicitly prohibit city employees from parking in bike lanes, bus stops, crosswalks or on sidewalks.

But there was no sign of a crackdown on Monday, with government employees’ personal cars littering verboten spaces citywide and cops turning a blind eye, The Post found.

The sidewalks around Astoria’s 114th Precinct were filled with no less than 30 parked, personal cars, only 11 of which had placards at all — and cops said they were unconcerned about the supposed crackdown.

“I heard they were going to start cracking down … in Manhattan mostly,” said one cop, who insisted the sidewalk was “where we’re supposed to park.”

In Brooklyn, The Post found cars with government placards in bus stops, no-standing zones, bus lanes and bike lanes where they’re not allowed.

The Schermerhorn Street bike lane between Bond and Hoyt was filled with MTA and NYPD vehicles.

One traffic officer patrolling an area known for placard abuse on Mott Street in Manhattan admitted he’d been told about the crackdown — but just wasn’t going to enforce it.

“If an officer works a few blocks away from here, and they have to get to work, there’s no parking, so they park a few blocks away,” said the agent, who declined to give a name. “I’m not going to ticket them for that.”

Beneath the Queensboro Bridge, 16 personal cars were parked on the sidewalk. Instead of actual placards, many of their dashboards had safety vests bearing various logos, including those of the MTA or NYPD.

City- and state-issued parking permits are supposed to allow municipal employees temporary reprieve from some parking regulations while executing their job duties.

In practice, however, they’re often used to get free or plum parking spots for personal vehicles.

On Sunday, NYPD leaders warned cops that enforcement of recently passed placard laws would begin this week — on top of the department’s existing efforts.

When asked about the department’s response Monday, Transportation Chief William Morris disagreed that new laws would lead to a crackdown.

“The new law just directs us to enforcement areas,” he said.

Last year, the NYPD wrote 55,000 tickets for placard abuse, which have gradually increased year-over-year, according to Morris.

Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy