Cleveland Public Square
© Mark Horning/CBS ClevelandCleveland Public Square.
Ohio - City officials invited residents to bring in the new year in a hyper-controlled gathering in Cleveland's Public Square. People were told that for visiting the square they would be subjected to a "full inspection of your person" and "a complete pat down."

Checkpoints were conducted to detect a list of prohibited items so long that would make a prison guard blush.

Cleveland New Year Party
© Joshua Gunter/The Plain DealerCleveland party-goers.
During the pat downs, party-goers would be searched for things like tampons, eye drops, food, candy, beverages, flashlights, and pacifiers.

Purses and diaper bags were prohibited, as were chairs and blankets.

The list of prohibitions went on: no stuffed animals, no cameras, no coolers, no balls, no frisbees, no dolls, no stickers, no fliers, and of course, no legal means of self-defense.

"It's going to be a safe event," said Harold Pretel, Commander of Homeland Services.

Despite the 20-degree chill, the attendance was expected to be the biggest in 15 years. All 4 'squares' of Public Square were filled with people.

The checkpoints may have been a somewhat fitting start 2014, which is sure to bring all sorts of new invasions of privacy and advancements of the police state.

The official flier released by city hall is viewable below:
Flier
© Cleveland City HallCleveland’s New Year’s Eve flier.