Police Open Internal Probe After Woman Was Caught On Video Vandalizing Lawn Of Alderman's Critic

CHICAGO (CBS) -- An internal police investigation is underway after a woman allegedly threatened a Jefferson Park family that had been critical of an alderman.

While CPD would not comment on the details of the investigation, the unit investigates misconduct by police personnel.

The woman was caught on video destroying the front yard of a Northwest Side couple's home with a sport-utility vehicle, and screaming loudly as she did so.

As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported last month, the man believes his criticism of the local alderman made him a target.

Shattered lawn decorations, flattened plants, and tire tracks covered Peter Czosnyka's front lawn. It was the aftermath of vandalism by an SUV, which was caught on surveillance video.

Czosnyka's security camera captured most of the vandalism, but not all of it. He said the woman driving the SUV ended what he believes was her targeted rampage by totaling a white sedan that was parked just down the street – an act that security footage caught.

"She mentioned my name a couple of times," Czosnyka told Kozlov last month

Czosnyka is an outspoken critic of Ald. James Gardiner (45th). This is relevant because his wife said the same woman in the same SUV with the same license plate drove by just seven hours earlier with a message.

"Yelled at me, 'You tell your husband to leave the alderman alone!'" said Noreen Czosnyka.

The Czosnykas filed police reports with Jefferson Park (16th) District officers, including the SUV's license plate number. Days later, an officer told him the license plate number was gone from their records.