'You're at war': I went inside the new TSA Academy, where officers learn to detect bombs, spot weapons, and find out why failure isn't an option

A woman in navy cargo pants approaches the walk-through metal detector ahead of me. As she tries to covertly slip a switchblade knife into one of her many pants pockets, she fumbles, and the knife drops to the floor.

Only I and one other person see this, and after picking up the knife, she grins at us and places a finger to her lips.

"Sh," she whispers, before successfully slipping the knife into her pocket.

I say nothing and watch anxiously as she approaches the metal detector, hopeful that the officer manning the machine catches her. Alarms sound and the resulting pat-down reveals that her pockets are full of knives.

If we were in a major American airport, this officer would have just saved the day.

This scene didn't play out in an airport, however, and I wasn't complicit in any crime. I was observing the mock checkpoint training that all new transportation security officers, or TSOs, must complete at the TSA Academy, which was created this year.

The mock checkpoint training is just one piece of the US Transportation Safety Administration's newest strategy to help TSOs complete their mission.