Chapter 10: Robbery Practice Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key terms, criminal typologies, and investigative procedures related to the crime of robbery as detailed in Chapter 10.

Robbery

The theft or attempted theft, in a direct confrontation with the victim, by force or the threat of force or violence.

Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program definition of Robbery

The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence or by putting the victim in fear.

Strong-arm robbery

A type of robbery that occurs through intimidation or physical force without the use of a weapon, especially where gangs threaten victims by their sheer numbers.

Larceny theft

A category under the Uniform Crime Reporting Program that includes purse snatching and pickpocketing, which are not classified as robbery unless the victim resists and is overpowered.

Commercial robbery

Typically occurs at businesses located close to major thoroughfares, such as main streets, highways, and interstates, often targeting stores with only one or two employees during evening or early morning hours.

Bank robbery

The robbery of financial institutions including retail bank branches, savings and loans, and credit unions, typically involving the use of a firearm or a demand note.

Method of Operation (MO)

The documented behavior and specific techniques used by a criminal during the commission of a crime.

Bait money

Cash placed in a teller's drawer that has had its serial numbers prerecorded to aid in capturing and identifying a robbery suspect if the money is later found in their possession.

Takeover robberies

Robberies involving multiple armed offenders that are less common but more lucrative, with losses estimated to be 10 times greater than average.

Convenience store robbery

The robbery of retail businesses that emphasize quick purchases of products; these account for approximately 6 percent of all robberies known to the police.

Straight robbery

A convenience store robbery method where the offender demands money immediately upon entering the store.

Customer robbery

A convenience store robbery method where the offender demands money after entering the store and engaging in the act of making a purchase.

Merchandise robbery

The forcible taking of goods from a store, often resulting in a higher number of employee injuries due to active resistance.

ATM robbery

A robbery occurring when an offender approaches a user or the machine to force access, most commonly occurring at night between midnight and 4:00 a.m. against lone victims.

Street robbery

Also known as muggings, this is the most common type of robbery, typically committed with a weapon on public streets and alleyways at night.

Carjacking

The completed or attempted robbery of a motor vehicle by a stranger to the victim.

Bump and run

A carjacking technique in which the thief stages a minor rear-end collision to lure the driver out of the vehicle.

Home invasion

Also called residential robbery, it occurs when robbers force their way into an occupied home, apartment, or hotel room to commit a robbery or other crimes.

School robbery

Often characterized as instances of petty extortion or a 'shakedown' of students or teachers, failing to meet the stereotypic stickup or mugging profile.

Professional robber

A robber characterized by a long-term commitment to crime as a livelihood, who plans and organizes crimes extensively before committing them.

Opportunistic robber

A typically younger perpetrator who steals small amounts of money when they identify a vulnerable target, such as a cab driver or elderly person, with little planning.

Drug addict robber

An offender who robs specifically to support a drug habit; they have a low commitment to robbery due to its danger but a high commitment to theft for funds.

Intoxicated robber

An offender whose excessive consumption of alcohol leads them to enter into robbery as a criminal alternative, usually planning crimes randomly with little consideration for escape.

Flash description

A broadcast containing the suspect's physical description (age, race, gender, clothing, hair) and vehicle description to alert other officers immediately after a crime.

Neighborhood canvass

A logical starting place for a robbery investigation involving questioning residents and business owners surrounding the crime scene and escape routes.

Binding material

Physical evidence such as duct tape, masking tape, wire, or rope used by robbers to incapacitate victims.