TSA Chief Reassigned over Major Security Failures

The acting director of the Transportation Security Administration has been reassigned after an internal report found shocking security failures at dozens of the nation's busiest airports.

Melvin Carraway will be replaced by acting Deputy Director Mark Hatfield in the interim.

"I thank Melvin Carraway for his 11 years of service to TSA and his 36 years of public service," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement Monday.

The security lapses were exposed in a series of tests conducted by undercover Homeland Security agents posing as passengers.

According to ABC News, the agents were able to smuggle items such as mock explosives and weapons through TSA checkpoints in 67 out of 70 attempts.

"The numbers in these reports never look good out of context but they are a critical element in the continual evolution of our aviation security," Johnson said. "We take these findings very seriously in our continued effort to test, measure, and enhance our capabilities and techniques as threats evolve."

This is not the first time the TSA has had trouble with security breaches.

In 2013, an undercover investigator with a fake bomb hidden on his body passed through a metal detector, went through a pat down at New Jersey's Newark Liberty Airport, and was never caught.

"Any time there is a high rate of misses, that causes concern," former TSA Administrator John Pistole said. "The terrorists do watch us. They do watch and go to school on how they can learn from possible vulnerabilities."

Secretary Johnson is now directing the agency to immediately make the following changes:

• Revise standard operating procedures for screenings.
• Provide intensive training for supervisors.
• Retest and re-evaluate screening equipment.
• TSA screeners can expect even more random, covert testing.

Meanwhile, the administration still touts its dedication to safety and security.

In 2014, the TSA confiscated more than 2,000 firearms at 224 airports after screening 653 million passengers.