Another issue that the Conference took issue with in 2008 include the misappropriation of federal funds for municipal anti-terrorism emergency equipment through the Homeland Security Department , which was created in 2003 , instead of for municipal police forces and other enforcement officials . On this issue , they stood by the International Association of Chiefs of Police who feel common domestic anti-crime expenditure might better serve the public interest . Since the September 11 attacks federally funded municipal purchases of bomb robots , chem-bio suits and other anti-terrorism equipment have often gone unused while crime is underserved . These organizations are calling for a re-evaluation of the federal grant system . Along with various foreign governments , United States Chamber of Commerce and the Travel Industry Association , the conference also stood against the 2008 Homeland Security Department initiative to fingerprint foreign visitors before they leave the country by airplane . These complaints came a few years after the conference complained that their cities were not receiving an equitable proportion of counterterrorism funding in the first few years after the attacks
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
United States Conference of Mayors