Mayor of Baltimore v. Jakelski

Baltimore City Police Officer Theodore Jakelski was scheduled to appear in traffic court once each month to testify in regard to traffic citations previously issued. On July 15, 1976, he was scheduled to appear at 2:00 p.m. and, following his appearance, was to report for roll call at 3:30 p.m. assigned to the Northeast District. The officer was compensated by the hour for his courtroom appearances and while usually credited with a minimum of two hours, actual time was recorded by "punching” a clock provided at the traffic court.

While en route to the court from his home on July 15,1976,…