Legit Traffic Stop of Politician or Racial Profiling?

Another controversy is brewing in the city of Detroit.  Detroit City Councilman George Cushingberry Jr. says his traffic stop earlier this week was nothing more than a case of racial profiling.

Cushingberry, who is black, says he was pulled over Tuesday for failing to use a turn signal.  The officers, who were white, made the stop shortly after the councilman had left a bar narrowly missing their patrol car.  The claim they smelled alcohol and marijuana in the vehicle and saw an empty rum bottle.

Cushingberry acknowledged the smell of the drug but said it was from usage by a passenger who has a medical marijuana license.  He also claimed the smell of alcohol was from a rum bottle left in the vehicle after a party a while back.  A supervisor was called and the officers issued only a ticket.  Cushingberry is now taking issue with even that, claiming he was the victim of profiling--or "driving while black"- and that the traffic stop was 'bogus' and designed only to allow the officers to harrass him.

Police spokesman, Sgt. Michael Woody, says there will be an investigation into the stop but not just to determine whether profiling played a role.  He says it seems to him that Cushingberry should have been arrested not just ticketed.