Cop Has Unlikely Excuse For Failed Drug Test

Former NYPD counterterrorism detective Anthony Chiofalo has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to get his job back after being fired.

Chiofalo was fired in August from the New York Police department after he failed a random drug screening. He denied using drugs and demanded a hearing and investigation.

During the investigation, Chiofalo’s wife was questioned. She confessed that she wanted for her husband to retire so badly, that in July 2005 she secretly put enough marijuana for about six cigarettes into meatballs that she fed her husband. She had hoped that he would fail a drug test and it would force him to retire.

Well, Chifalo, a 22-year veteran, isn’t ready to retire. He is asking the court to find that his firing was unreasonable and unconstitutional and he wants to be reinstated. He says that the hair sample that got him fired was improperly taken. His lawsuit also seeks back pay with interest, benefits and his seniority back.

According to court documents, Chifalo and his wife have both taken polygraph tests which concluded that they were telling the truth about the marijuana-spiked meatballs.

Chifalo says that his wife had used marijuana to relieve nausea caused by pain medication that she was taking.

Chifalo has support. An administrative judge has recommended that he be reinstated, however, police Commissioner Raymond Kelly rejected the recommendation and a department spokesman said “The officer’s excuse was not credible.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 at 3:31 pm and is filed under Law, Personal Injury Law. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.