Lieutenant JOHN O'Rourke
Nevada Highway Patrol

Lt. John O’Rourke began his career with the Highway Patrol in July of 1995. He was initially stationed in Reno as a member of the Traffic Division. During his tour in Reno, Lt. O’Rourke became a Field Training Officer, Standard Field Sobriety Test Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor and a Drug Recognition Expert. Lt. O’Rourke became a motorcycle officer in May of 2001 where he remained until his promotion to Sergeant in September of 2004

Lt. O’Rourke was the first Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper in state history to be honored in Washington DC for the Mountain Pacific Region Trooper of the Year. Four national awards are given out annually to officers that demonstrate courage in the line of duty. He witnessed a head on collision in which one of the vehicles overturned and caught fire. He first rescued the driver, who was caught in his seatbelt, then turned his attention to the passenger. The passenger was trapped under the dash as the fire spread to the passenger compartment. Lt. O’Rourke was able to pry the door open and extricate the passenger moments before the vehicle exploded. The award is sponsored by NAPO (National Association of Police Officers) and John Walsh (“America’s Most Wanted, America Fights Back”) presented the award to Lt. O’Rourke. He was also awarded the Medal of Valor, Gold Star Award from the Highway Patrol and the Life Saver Award at the James D. Hoff Memorial.

Upon promotion to Sergeant, Lt. O’Rourke ran the graveyard traffic operations unit for the Reno urban area. In March of 2006, he became the Administrative Sergeant of the Northern Command in Reno.

In March 2007, O’Rourke was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Lt. O’Rourke’s current assignment is the Administrative Lieutenant for Central Command.

Lt. O’Rourke attended the University of Nevada and the Truckee Meadows Community College and is a graduate of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff and Command.