What Happened in Bellingham on Thursday, January 1st, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 22 incidents, down 19% from 27 the day before. 2 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 5 arrests.
The most common incident type was Behavioral Health, accounting for 5 of 22 reports (23% of total). The most active neighborhood was Meridian with 4 incidents.
Overall activity was 40% below the 30-day average of 37 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 6 categories. Behavioral Health led with 5 incidents (23% of total), followed by Administrative with 4 and Theft & Burglary with 4.
Behavioral Health and Administrative were virtually tied, separated by just 1 incident.
Trending: Drugs & Alcohol is up 50% over the past 7 days (6 incidents this week vs 4 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's In “Administrative”▶
Overview
Violent Crime
2 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 9% of all incidents.
The most common violent offense was BURGLARY with 1 of 2 incidents, followed by COLLISION - HIT & RUN with 1. Of 2 violent incidents, 0 resulted in an arrest — a 0% arrest rate.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02:44 | BURGLARYViolent | Alabama Hill | 1800 Block of Iowa Dr |
| 21:34 | COLLISION - HIT & RUNViolent | Barkley | 3000 Block of Cinema Pl |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 5 arrests yesterday, involving 5 individuals.
Arrests accounted for 23% of all incidents. Of the 5 arrests, 2 were Traffic & Vehicles, 2 were Theft & Burglary, and 1 was Disorder. This is down 29% from the 7 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:21 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | Downtown |
| 00:57 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | York |
| 12:42 | SHOPLIFTING | Theft & Burglary | Columbia |
| 16:26 | TRESPASS | Disorder | Meridian |
| 18:46 | SHOPLIFTING | Theft & Burglary | Puget |
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 13 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Meridian had the highest activity with 4 incidents, followed by Columbia with 3 and York with 2.
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 12 AM – 1 AM with 4 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 4am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 9 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 0, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 9, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 4. Overnight was the busiest period overall.
Thursdays in Bellingham typically average 39 incidents. Yesterday's total of 22 is 17 below that 8-week average (44% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 23.4 incidents per day, below the 30-day average of 36.9 — suggesting a quieter-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Drugs & Alcohol Up 50% This Week
Drugs & Alcohol incidents have risen sharply: 6 in the past 7 days compared to 4 the prior 7 days — a 50% increase.
Unusually Quiet for a Thursday
22 incidents is 44% below the 8-week Thursday average of 39. That's 17 fewer incidents than expected. This marks 9 consecutive days below the rolling average.
9 Days Below Average
Bellingham has reported below-average incident counts for 9 consecutive days. The 30-day average is 37 per day; today's 22 continues the quieter stretch. This week is at 100 incidents compared to 98 at this point last week.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 22 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Thursday, January 1st, 2026. Published Friday, January 2nd, 2026.
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What Happened in Bellingham on Thursday, January 1st, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 22 incidents, down 19% from 27 the day before. 2 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 5 arrests.
The most common incident type was Behavioral Health, accounting for 5 of 22 reports (23% of total). The most active neighborhood was Meridian with 4 incidents.
Overall activity was 40% below the 30-day average of 37 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 6 categories. Behavioral Health led with 5 incidents (23% of total), followed by Administrative with 4 and Theft & Burglary with 4.
Behavioral Health and Administrative were virtually tied, separated by just 1 incident.
Trending: Drugs & Alcohol is up 50% over the past 7 days (6 incidents this week vs 4 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's In “Administrative”▶
Overview
Violent Crime
2 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 9% of all incidents.
The most common violent offense was BURGLARY with 1 of 2 incidents, followed by COLLISION - HIT & RUN with 1. Of 2 violent incidents, 0 resulted in an arrest — a 0% arrest rate.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02:44 | BURGLARYViolent | Alabama Hill | 1800 Block of Iowa Dr |
| 21:34 | COLLISION - HIT & RUNViolent | Barkley | 3000 Block of Cinema Pl |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 5 arrests yesterday, involving 5 individuals.
Arrests accounted for 23% of all incidents. Of the 5 arrests, 2 were Traffic & Vehicles, 2 were Theft & Burglary, and 1 was Disorder. This is down 29% from the 7 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:21 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | Downtown |
| 00:57 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | York |
| 12:42 | SHOPLIFTING | Theft & Burglary | Columbia |
| 16:26 | TRESPASS | Disorder | Meridian |
| 18:46 | SHOPLIFTING | Theft & Burglary | Puget |
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 13 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Meridian had the highest activity with 4 incidents, followed by Columbia with 3 and York with 2.
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 12 AM – 1 AM with 4 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 4am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 9 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 0, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 9, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 4. Overnight was the busiest period overall.
Thursdays in Bellingham typically average 39 incidents. Yesterday's total of 22 is 17 below that 8-week average (44% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 23.4 incidents per day, below the 30-day average of 36.9 — suggesting a quieter-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Drugs & Alcohol Up 50% This Week
Drugs & Alcohol incidents have risen sharply: 6 in the past 7 days compared to 4 the prior 7 days — a 50% increase.
Unusually Quiet for a Thursday
22 incidents is 44% below the 8-week Thursday average of 39. That's 17 fewer incidents than expected. This marks 9 consecutive days below the rolling average.
9 Days Below Average
Bellingham has reported below-average incident counts for 9 consecutive days. The 30-day average is 37 per day; today's 22 continues the quieter stretch. This week is at 100 incidents compared to 98 at this point last week.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 22 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Thursday, January 1st, 2026. Published Friday, January 2nd, 2026.
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