I Was An FBI Task Force Cop - Then Addiction Nearly Ruined Me | Keith Shibley

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 745 Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2025

⏱️ 112 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Keith Shibley was the kind of cop who ran toward danger—until the danger followed him home. Starting his career with the Virginia Port Authority Police, Keith transitioned into the Richmond Police Department, where violence, shootings, and high-stakes calls were a daily reality. Seeking a new path, he returned to the Port Authority and eventually became part of an FBI task force, responding to domestic terrorism threats, high-profile shootings, and federal-level criminal activity. But while he was protecting the public, the trauma was destroying him privately. Years of front-line exposure led to crippling PTSD, driving Keith into a spiral of painkillers, alcohol, and self-destruction—all while still wearing the badge. His life and career were on the brink. Instead of losing everything, Keith made a life-altering decision: he asked for help. #FBITaskForce #AddictionRecovery #FormerCop #LawEnforcementStories #AddictionSurvivor #TrueCrimePodcast #PoliceToPrison #RedemptionStory Connect with Keith Shibley: Facebook: Keith Shibley Instagram: @keithshibley and @official_mindovermadness YouTube: @mindovermadnessmom Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop Timestamps: 00:00 Opening: Inside the Mind of a Cop — Processing Trauma and Tragedy 02:35 Meet Keith Shibley: From Virginia Cop to FBI Task Force Member 08:09 Childhood, Family Struggles & Early Trauma 17:02 Why He Chose Policing & His First Steps Into Law Enforcement 24:05 Police Academy Stories & Port Authority Beginnings 29:44 Life in Richmond Police — Violence, Chaos & Hard Lessons 36:16 Coping Mechanisms, Brotherhood & Police Culture 43:35 The Calls That Haunt You — Death, Grief & Emotional Toll 52:40 Working Domestic Terrorism & High-Risk Operations 01:00:56 The Navy Yard Shooting — What Really Happened That Day 01:12:32 Addiction Takes Over — Pills, Alcohol & Denial 01:24:52 The Breaking Point: Intervention, Rehab & Recovery 01:35:23 Overcoming Stigma & Inspiring Other First Responders 01:43:40 Mental Health, Programs & Breaking the Silence 01:49:44 Final Reflections — Healing, Hope & Purpose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	They had duct tape around their feet in their hands. Their necks were cut and their heads were bashed in
0:04.3	with hammers. When you go onto a crime scene and you see horrific things like that, how do you process
0:09.0	that? The one that really was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back for me was the
0:13.6	Navy Yard active shooter in 2013. When you're in the pits of your addiction, did you feel like you
0:18.6	were living a double life being in law enforcement,
0:21.7	but also using drugs and alcohol? Keith Shibli chased down domestic terrorists, responded to active
0:27.2	shooters and worked side by side with the FBI. But behind the badge, Keith was battling a hidden
0:32.7	addiction that nearly destroyed his life and career. Keith, welcome to Lockton. Thanks so much for coming on the show today. Thanks, man. I appreciate you having me. Yeah, you drove off from D.C. Yeah, Northern Virginia, D.C. area. Yeah, I want to get back out to D.C. When I was younger, we went as a, like, a family trip to see, like, the museums and everything. Didn't really appreciate it when I'm younger,
0:55.8	but now that I'm older, I want to go and check everything out and spend a weekend there.
0:59.8	The crazy part is I've been back in D.C. since 2007.
1:06.5	I think I've been to the museum, a museum once.
1:09.0	It's just when you live, when you live right there, you just, you try to avoid the city as much as possible.
1:14.3	You just don't want to go in there.
1:15.3	But it does have a lot of, it has a lot of cool stuff, a lot of good history in there.
1:20.6	Yeah.
1:21.1	Yeah.
1:21.1	Yeah, good restaurants and stuff too.
1:22.4	Yeah, it does.
1:23.6	You said you wanted to plug a charity in the beginning of this episode.
1:26.5	Yeah.
1:32.8	I started working a little bit earlier this year with a charity called Frontline Healing Foundation.
1:36.6	If you just Google Frontline Healing Foundation, you can find them.
	...

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