California Highway Patrol officers building special bonds with students at King Elementary School

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A message during a Martin Luther King Junior celebration has sparked a partnership in Southwest Fresno.

The California Highway Patrol was inspired by Dr. King's message to give back and is doing just that at King Elementary.

Uniformed officers with the California Highway Patrol now head into King Elementary School on a weekly basis.

Thankfully, they're not there to enforce the law.

They're forming friendships and bonds.

Students are eager to say hello, and hugs are hurled at them faster than they can keep up.

California Highway Patrol Captain Austin Matulonis says officers recently 'adopted' King Elementary School.

They've made it a weekly mission to stop by campus and connect.

"We just wanted an opportunity to bring our officers here to engage with the children to bridge trust, understanding and communicate," Captain Matulonis said.

Stickers can be the star of the show, but Officer Mike Salas says their time on campus goes far beyond the high-fives.

"We're also bringing education to them. We're teaching them how to safely cross the street. We're teaching them to wear their seatbelts, to tell mom, dad, grandma and grandpa to put that cell phone down when they're driving," Officer Salas said.

The benefit is mutual for the officers, who get a brief break from the hardships that come with their jobs.

King Elementary Principal Summer Gaston says the response from students has been promising.

"They're not afraid to ask questions. Some of them are fun questions, some of them are tough questions and they've been able to handle all of those and the kids definitely respond really well to them. They're like rockstars on campus," Principal Gaston said.

She says having adults other than teachers and administrators invest in the students can leave a lasting impact.

"It does make the students feel like they're important, they're valued, they're going to be listened to," Principal Gaston said.

Captain Matulonis says they know they're having an impact on students and are hoping this initiative spreads to other law enforcement agencies and other schools across the Central Valley.

"I'm just really excited to see where it takes us and where we go from here," Captain Matulonis said.

In the meantime, officers plan to return to the playground each and every Friday.

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