Washington ( CNN ) -- The Transportation Security Administration is failing to adequately report , track and fix airport security breaches , according to the Department of Homeland Security 's inspector general . As a result , the TSA `` does not have a complete understanding '' of breaches at the nation 's airports , says a report from the inspector general . The report , published earlier this month , was requested by New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg after a series of breaches at Newark Airport , including a knife bypassing TSA screening , passengers walking around security checkpoints and a dead dog transported without being screened for explosives . TSA responded to those incidents with `` corrective action , '' according to the inspector general , but not all the problems received the same treatment . The TSA took action to fix only 42 % of the security breaches documented at Newark Airport , according to the report . `` There 's no consistency because there is no clear guidance on what to report and when to report , '' Charles Edwards , acting inspector general at the Department of Homeland Security , told a congressional hearing on Wednesday . `` One of our recommendations is that they have to have a comprehensive oversight program where they provide clear guidance on how each of the airports need to be reporting and then TSA needs to follow through . '' Most of the incidents examined occurred in 2010 , and the report says since then efforts to fix security breach vulnerabilities have improved . Five other large U.S. terminals were visited by inspectors for comparison but the airports ' names were withheld from the public report . Of the six airports visited , records were found detailing efforts to fix the causes of only 53 % of the breaches . Newark was the lowest-scoring . The highest-rated airport reported corrective action in 88 % of the breaches . `` I 'm going to tell you right now the next incident is going to come from the ground . It 's going to come from the shadow of the aircraft , it 's not going to come through the passenger terminal . I 'm telling you that , '' said Rep. John `` Chip '' Cravaack , R-Minnesota . The inspector general also noted that while the agency did have `` many programs and initiatives that report and track identified security breaches '' they were `` not all inclusive or centrally managed . '' This lack of comprehensive , centralized data was cited as preventing the use of information to `` monitor trends or make general improvements to security . '' Problems with how incidents were categorized in reporting also were outlined in the report . TSA workers at one airport reported `` an improper bag handoff incident '' in a database as a `` sterile area access event '' while another airport reported four similar incidents as `` security breaches . '' Management at the agency concurred with the inspector general 's report . `` TSA acknowledges that it can further develop and expand its oversight programs for gathering and tracking airport security breaches , '' wrote administrator John Pistole . `` TSA currently collects thousands of records of incidents and security breaches occurring at airports and other transportation facilities , '' TSA spokesman David Castelveter told CNN in an e-mail . `` TSA is coordinating appropriate revisions to relevant Operations Directives to develop a single definition of 'Security Breach , ' addressing ( the inspector general 's ) recommendation . '' CNN 's Lizzie O'Leary and Jim Barnett contributed to this report .
Inspector general says the TSA `` does not have a complete understanding '' of breaches . Breaches at Newark Airport included a knife bypassing TSA screening . `` There is no clear guidance on what to report and when to report , '' an official says . Aministrator says TSA `` can further develop and expand its oversight programs ''