The heartwarming reason a police chief follows a school bus for special-needs children every day

RALLS, Texas — Before sunrise every morning, Ralls, Texas, Police Chief Steven Longoria follows a school bus as it picks up seven special-needs students.

"It started probably mid to last school year," Longoria told KLBK.

Longoria said he got several complaints from concerned parents that people were not stopping for the bus as kids were boarding in the dark, early hours of the morning.

“Safety is a top priority, especially for special-needs kids,” Longoria said. “It’s just something we have to do. It’s hard enough to keep a lot of them on the bus. You don’t want one getting off and getting hit by a car that doesn’t want to stop.”

>> Read more trending stories

Longoria lives in a small town and knows all the kids on the school bus. His kids often play with them at his house.

He said he’s happy to go the extra mile in the morning to make sure everyone gets to school safely.

“We have pretty good citizen support here,” Chief Longoria said. “But to know the kids appreciate it as well as the adults – it makes us feel like we are doing the right thing here.”

Cox Media Group