Let's "Talk" about the police: The role of race and police legitimacy attitudes in the legal socialization of youth

Anecdotal evidence suggests Black caregivers tend to engage in a sociocultural practice called "the Talk," in which they equip youth with knowledge to facilitate successful navigation of police encounters. Yet, little empirical research exists examining this practice and the factors that may influence the transmission of messages from parents to youth. This study examined the types of messages parents deem important for children to understand about police, whether racial differences exist, and whether parents' police legitimacy attitudes play a role in perceived importance. Exploratory factor analysis of survey responses from 1,056 parents identified four constructs inherent in The Talk: messages about Police Role, Compliance, Police Behaviors and Safety Behaviors. Using survey data from 948 Black and White parents, multiple regression analyses revealed that parent race was significantly related to the importance parents placed on communicating specific types of messages about the police and that legitimacy attitudes moderated these relationships. Consistent with prior findings of racial differences in legitimacy attitudes, Black parents reported less trust in the police than White parents. Black parents also placed less importance on communicating positive socialization messages about police and greater importance on communicating messages related to compliance, expectations of negative police behaviors, and maintaining personal safety during police encounters. Although legitimacy attitudes significantly moderated the relationship between parent race and message content, Black parents' legitimacy attitudes were a weaker driver of parents' messages than White parents' attitudes, suggesting that additional factors (e.g., expectations of differential treatment) may motivate Black parents' socialization practices.