Last November, a 22-year NYPD veteran who was fired after failing a drug test - because his wife put pot in the meatballs - was waiting to hear whether Police Commissioner Ray Kelly would reinstate him. Many months later, Kelly has given his word: Anthony Chiofalo remains fired.

Chiofalo's wife admitted that she slipped pot instead of oregano into her meatball recipe because she wanted him to be fired from the force. Why? Because she was worried for his safety, as Chiofalo worked on the Joint-Terrorism Task Force, not to mention the fact that Chiofalo's brother, also a cop, died on September 11 and two partners died on September 11. She even submitted the findings of a polygraph test. While we understand her concern, it still seemed like a bad idea from the beginning.

The ex-cop can still sue the NYPD in civil court. Interestingly, the Post reports that police prosecutors had urged Kelly to overturn Chiofalo's dismissal.