Police investigating social media reports of drugging at Rose Room

The Birmingham Police Department is investigating social media reports that women may have been drugged while drinking at the Rose Room, 220 E. Merrill.

“The Birmingham Police Department takes these allegations very seriously and at no time did we receive reports regarding this and indicate nothing could be done,” said Police Chief Mark Clemence, in a statement. “I want the community to know that we will do everything in our power to solve this investigation and ensure those who dine in Birmingham are safe.”

He said the community has been asked to share their experiences and any information regarding the alleged incidents.

A police report may be filed by calling 248-5301889. The bar said in a Facebook post it had not received direct reports of the alleged drugging and has no indication the claims are true.

“We have been made aware through social media of an assertion that a guest of the Rose Room allegedly was assaulted on March 13, 2021,” the post said.

“Although we have not received any direct reports of anything like this ever happening at the Rose Room, we take these claims very seriously. There is nothing more important to us than the health and safety of our guests, and we condemn all forms of sexual harassment and assault.

“Rest assured, we have confirmed that the policies and procedures that we have in place for the safety and security of our guests were in place and were being followed. We have already interviewed all of our employees that were working on that date, and we have no indication that the claims being repeated through social media are true.

“We take precautions every night to ensure that what was alleged in the social media post does not happen:

“Bottles are opened at the table by our staff, in front of guests, to ensure the highest quality.

“We have a highlytrained, diverse staff whose primary focus is attending to our guests’ well-being; Our bartenders, servers, managers, and security also are trained both to ensure that patrons showing signs of intoxication are not served and are able to get safely home.

“As a small, minorityowned business in a competitive business community, our reputation is everything to us. We will take all actions necessary to respond, and we have already reached out to the person who posted the original message, but we have not yet received a response.”