The next meeting of the Battleground Historical Society will be Friday September 28, 2012 at 7:30PM at The Village Inn. The guest speaker will be John E. O'Rourke. He will speak on his book State Troopers, 1961-2011 Remembering The Fallen.

John E. O'Rourke is a 25 year veteran with the New Jersey State Police. His career began in the rural mountains of Sussex County, New Jersey, where he patrolled the local communities as a "Jersey Trooper." Since that time, O'Rourke has patrolled in urban and rural communities throughout the state.

As a trooper, O'Rourke has been active in all facets of police patrol. Moreover, he has been the lead investigator on hundreds of investigations ranging from petty crimes, to robbery and murder. Mr. O'Rourke recently retired from the elite organization to begin his own Security Consultancy and also works as the Director of Security for Montclair Golf Club in West Orange, NJ.

Sadly, O'Rourke has seen the impact Line of Duty Deaths have on family and friends. As such, he wrote Jersey Troopers: Sacrifice at the Altar of Public Service, and New Jersey State Troopers 1961 - 2011 to honor those troopers that gave their lives for the Garden State.

John E. O'Rourke was born in Pequannock, New Jersey, and raised in the Passaic County town of Wanaque. O'Rourke's education includes a bachelor of science degree from Thomas Edison State College and a master of arts degree from Seton Hall University. He has an extensive background in police and security leadership and is board certified in security management from the American Society for Industrial Security, International (ASIS). Presently, O'Rourke is the chair of the Crime and Loss Prevention Council for ASIS and is a twenty-five-year veteran with the New Jersey State Police. He is stationed at Troop E Headquarters in Holmdel, New Jersey.