Colorado POST Practice Exam

What constitutes robbery?

1. Stealing without confrontation

2. Property taken from or within the presence of a person, using force or threats

3. A break-in with no one present

4. Theft through deception

The correct answer is: Property taken from or within the presence of a person, using force or threats

Robbery is defined as taking property from a person or in their immediate presence, using force or intimidation. This means that the act involves not just the unlawful taking of someone else's property, but the element of confrontation where the individual is subjected to threats or physical force. This is what distinguishes robbery from other forms of theft, which may not involve direct interaction with the victim. In this context, the other options do not meet the criteria for robbery. Stealing without confrontation describes a theft that lacks the necessary confrontational element. A break-in with no one present refers to burglary, which involves entering a structure unlawfully but does not include interaction or confrontation with a person. Theft through deception, such as fraud, seeks to mislead the victim without direct force or threat, which also falls outside of the definition of robbery. Therefore, the most accurate representation of robbery aligns with the option that involves taking property through force or threats while confronting the victim.