I Worked Undercover as a State Trooper & ATF Agent | Jennifer Eskew

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 743 Ratings

🗓️ 15 January 2026

⏱️ 170 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jennifer Eskew shares her journey from starting her career as a Virginia State Trooper to going deep undercover on major drug and gun cases before joining the ATF. She breaks down what undercover work was really like, including investigations involving outlaw bikers and murder-for-hire plots, and how those years on the street shaped her as an agent. Jennifer also opens up about transitioning into the ATF’s arson and explosives division, responding to some of the most significant crime scenes in U.S. history — including the Olympic bombing and 9/11 at the Pentagon. The conversation explores the long-term trauma that comes with the job, the personal toll of high-risk investigations, and her cancer diagnosis linked to 9/11 exposure, offering a powerful look at the hidden cost of a life spent in law enforcement. _____________________________________________ #Undercover #TrueCrime #LawEnforcement #ATFAgent #PoliceStories #CrimeDocumentary #RealStories #youtubepodcast _____________________________________________ Thank you to PRIZEPICKS for sponsoring this episode: Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/IANBICK and use code IANBICK and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup! _____________________________________________ Connect with Jennifer Eskew: https://www.jenniferclarkeeskew.com/ 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 From State Trooper to ATF Agent: Jennifer Eskew’s Career 01:23 Background, Motivation, and Writing Her New Book 02:56 Early Work in Healthcare and Rehabilitation 04:52 Choosing Law Enforcement and Family Support 09:09 Becoming a Female State Trooper 15:09 First Days on the Job and Learning the Reality 18:58 Rookie Mistakes, Hard Lessons, and Earning Respect 22:58 The Danger of Patrol Work and Daily Risk 35:35 Moving Undercover: Entering a Double Life 41:47 Undercover Operations: Drug and Gun Cases 54:00 Risks, Tactics, and Living Undercover 01:07:40 Undercover Stories That Still Stand Out 01:20:15 From State Police to Federal Agent 01:33:55 Joining the ATF and Federal Training 01:37:06 Biker Stings and High-Stakes Federal Cases 01:49:20 Inside a Murder-for-Hire Investigation 01:55:15 ATF Operations Beyond Undercover Work 02:03:51 National Response Team: Arson, Fires, and Bombings 02:14:17 Responding to 9/11 at the Pentagon 02:27:00 Aftermath of 9/11: Trauma, Debris, and Health Impact 02:36:31 Life After Law Enforcement, Reflection, and Legacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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0:59.9	I was doing deals with some crack dealers out of North Carolina for ATF.
1:04.4	After a moment like that, how do you go home and live your life, normally separate it from the job?
1:09.0	You know, go home, have dinner, brush your teeth, just doing things that we don't think twice about. He's like, look, got an informant, got some folks. They're tied to outlaw motorcycle club. Was it more suspicious or less suspicious because you were a female? About that time, you get another phone call and pages and stuff, and they're going, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're going.
1:27.9	So out the door we went and that's what we were there for was to respond. We went. We went to the Centennial Park and we got there. I mean, chaos is still ongoing. Can you tell us the murder for hire story? I'm not inside if I'd tell you this or not, but I guess it will. It's been long enough. It's been 25 years, right?
1:42.9	In this episode, you're going to hear what it's really like living undercover for years, chasing violent
1:47.9	criminals, and responding to some of the darkest moments in American history. Jennifer
1:52.7	Eskew started her career as a Virginia State Trooper before going undercover on major drug and
	...

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