A new study on the ways U.S. parents talk to their children about the police found clear differences based on race and ethnicity.

Led by Keisha April, assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, the research examined what kinds of messages youth heard from their parents about police and whether those messages differed depending on race and ethnicity. Drawing from a survey of 720 young adults (ages 17 to 26) who identified as White, Black, or Latine, researchers analyzed the types of messages youth remembered receiving from their parents throughout their lives.

Published in Race and Justice, the study found that Black youth were more likely than White or Latine youth to have been told that police can be dangerous and less likely than other youth to have been told that police are protectors. Black youth were also more likely than White youth to be told to focus on staying safe and complying with police during encounters with them.

The findings suggest that young people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds receive qualitatively different messages about the police from their parents. These differences reflect broader social experiences and concerns, particularly in Black communities, according to the authors. They also shed light on important differences in the knowledge and experiences from which young people draw to navigate the world.

“Parents sometimes have serious talks with their children about how to handle interactions with police, often referred to as ‘the talk,’” said April. “But it hasn’t been clear whether these kinds of conversations are unique to Black families and whether messages look different across other groups. We think this work is important to better understand the process of legal socialization, or how individuals develop their attitudes and beliefs about our legal systems.”

Added Lindsey M. Cole, associate professor of criminal justice and criminology at Western New England University, who co-authored the study: “Our findings highlight the importance of improving trust and relationships between police and the communities they serve.”