What Happened in Bellingham on Sunday, January 4th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 46 incidents, up 10% from 42 the day before. 4 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 18 arrests.
The most common incident type was Traffic Stops, accounting for 8 of 46 reports (17% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 14 incidents.
Overall activity was 29% above the 30-day average of 36 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Traffic Stops led with 8 incidents (17% of total), followed by Disorderly Behavior (Non-Physical) with 7 and Other Non-criminal with 4.
Traffic Stops — up 1200% over the past 7 days (13 incidents this week vs 1 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's in “Other Non-criminal”?
Overview
Violent Crime
4 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 9% of all incidents. This is up 100% from the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:53 | SHOTS FIRED | Cordata | 900 Pacific Rim Ln |
| 01:57 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Downtown | 1300 Railroad Ave |
| 18:00 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Puget | 1200 Civic Field Way |
| 19:24 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Happy Valley | 600 32nd St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 18 arrests yesterday, involving 17 individuals. 2 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 39% of all incidents. Of the 18 arrests, 7 were Traffic Stops, 3 were Drugs & Narcotics, and 2 were Warrant Arrest. This is up 64% from the 11 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:30 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic Stops | Downtown |
| 01:33 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic Stops | Roosevelt |
| 01:40 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Driving Under the Influence | Birchwood |
| 04:53 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic Stops | Downtown |
| 07:57 | DRUG - NARCOTICS VIOLATIONS | Drugs & Narcotics | Downtown |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 13 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 14 incidents, followed by Meridian with 8 and Cordata with 5.
Downtown accounted for 30% of all incidents — a quarter or more of the city's activity in a single neighborhood.
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 12 PM – 1 PM with 5 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 6am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 11 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 7, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 17, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 11. Afternoon was the busiest period overall.
Sundays in Bellingham typically average 37 incidents. Yesterday's total of 46 is 9 incidents above that 8-week average (26% higher).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 32.9 incidents per day, below the 30-day average of 35.8 — suggesting a quieter-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
This Week Is Pacing Higher Than Last
Through Sunday (7 days), this week has recorded 252 incidents — 45% more than the 174 reported at the same point last week. If the pace holds, the week could finish well above last week’s total.
Traffic Stops Up 1200% This Week
Traffic Stops incidents have risen sharply: 13 in the past 7 days compared to 1 the prior 7 days — a 1200% increase. Today alone saw 8 traffic stops incidents.
Unusually Busy for a Sunday
46 incidents is 26% above the 8-week Sunday average of 37. That's 9 more incidents than expected. This marks 3 consecutive days above the rolling average.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 46 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Sunday, January 4th, 2026. Published Monday, January 5th, 2026.
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