On a recent afternoon, Tara Henderson walked up to a stranger outside the Stop Shop and Save at Mondawmin Mall and asked, "You hacking?"
George Shelton nodded yes. Henderson, 21, and two friends followed him to a parked station wagon and hopped in. Ten minutes later, Shelton let them off at Wyndam Court in West Baltimore, pocketing $6.
Scenes such as that are common in Baltimore, where there's no shortage of hacks, those who operate as cabdrivers illegally, targeting areas where public transportation is lacking. Hacks probably won't be seen driving around Roland Park or Guilford, but they saturate many West and East Baltimore neighborhoods.
Hacking requires only owning a car or possessing one for a day. Experience is optional, as are a driver's license and insurance. It doesn't matter whether the car is new or badly in need of brakes, a tuneup and tires.
Some hacks are more serious than others, spending several hours a day transporting people around Baltimore. Others work a few hours here and there, often quitting after making $50 or so. Drug addicts hack, too, picking up a quick $20 for a few rocks of crack or hits of heroin.
Hacking has become more prevalent in the city in recent years, says Baltimore police Capt. Gerard Busnuk. And obvious, based on the way customers flag down drivers.
"I used to work on the streets regularly, and you never used to see it except at grocery stores," Busnuk said. "Drive up Fulton Avenue now and you'll see almost every couple or three blocks people standing with their arms up and their index finger pointing to the ground. As people go by, they'll yell out 'Hack.' It's a sort of informal, underground thing. It's a whole different world out there as far as transportation."
People without cars or those who hate taking the bus love hacks. But they're a cabdriver's nightmare because of the low fares they offer.
Police see them as a nuisance, especially because robberies, carjackings and other crimes -- committed by either customer or driver -- have been associated with hacking.
Law enforcement
A city ordinance against hacking carries a maximum penalty of up to six months in jail and a $500 fine. But there doesn't seem to be much enforcement of the law. At Mondawmin Mall, a sign forbids hacking yet it remains one of the places in the city to catch a hack.
