642 N.Y.S.2d 443 | N.Y. App. Div. | 1996
Proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78 (transferred to this Court by order of the Supreme Court, entered in Washington County) to review a determination of respondent Commissioner of Correctional Services which found petitioner guilty of violating certain prison disciplinary rules.
Upon review of the numerous challenges raised by petitioner in this proceeding, we conclude that the determination must be confirmed. Initially, we reject petitioner’s contention that the correction officers lacked probable cause to conduct a strip search and, therefore, acted in violation of the applicable prison rules concerning strip search procedures. Nevertheless, while it is true that petitioner had initially walked through a metal detector without setting it off, a correction officer testified that the detector was unreliable and he routinely subjected inmates who appeared to be acting suspiciously to a hand-held metal detector search. Notably, the facility directive in question does not indicate that probable cause is necessary to utilize a metal detector and petitioner does not deny that the hand-held device reacted positively.
Next, we have examined petitioner’s claim that he was not provided with certain requested documents and photographic evidence and find that these assertions are either not borne out by the record or do not involve the implication of any of petitioner’s constitutional rights (cf., Matter of Dumpson v Mann, 225 AD2d 809). Although petitioner maintains that he was improperly denied copies of notes taken by the physician who examined him, the record indicates that the existence of these notes was revealed for the first time at the hearing and
Petitioner’s remaining contentions have been examined and found to be similarly unpersuasive. Any alleged inconsistencies in witness testimony merely raised issues of credibility for the Hearing Officer to resolve (see, Matter of Reid v Coughlin, 221 AD2d 888). We find no evidence in the record to support petitioner’s claims of bias or partiality on the part of the Hearing Officer affecting the outcome of the hearing (Matter of Joyce v Coughlin, 219 AD2d 777, 778).
Cardona, P. J., Mercure, White and Spain, JJ., concur. Adjudged that the determination is confirmed, without costs, and petition dismissed.