What Happened in Bellingham on Monday, January 5th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 43 incidents, down 7% from 46 the day before. 3 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 9 arrests.
The most common incident type was Other Non-criminal, accounting for 10 of 43 reports (23% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 10 incidents.
Overall activity was 20% above the 30-day average of 36 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Other Non-criminal led with 10 incidents (23% of total), followed by Disorderly Behavior (Non-Physical) with 6 and Theft with 4.
Traffic Stops — up 600% over the past 7 days (14 incidents this week vs 2 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's in “Other Non-criminal”?
Overview
Violent Crime
3 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 7% of all incidents. This is down 25% from the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:47 | ASSAULT - Felony | Sehome | 1000 N Forest St |
| 11:48 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Happy Valley | 2200 Douglas Ave |
| 23:33 | STALKING | Samish | 600 Lincoln St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 9 arrests yesterday, involving 9 individuals. 2 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 21% of all incidents. Of the 9 arrests, 3 were Theft, 2 were Warrant Arrest, and 1 was Assault — Felony. This is down 50% from the 18 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:47 | ASSAULT - Felony | Assault — FelonyViolent | Sehome |
| 03:46 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic Stops | Downtown |
| 07:32 | THEFT | Theft | Lettered Streets |
| 07:34 | TRESPASS | Trespass | Downtown |
| 11:10 | THEFT | Theft | Meridian |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 14 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 10 incidents, followed by Sehome with 6 and Lettered Streets with 6.
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 7 AM – 8 AM with 4 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 1am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 6 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 15, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 13, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 9. Morning was the busiest period overall.
Mondays in Bellingham typically average 44 incidents. Yesterday's total of 43 is 1 incident below that 8-week average (2% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 36.0 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 35.7 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Downtown: Most Active for 3 Straight Days
Downtown has been the most active neighborhood for 3 consecutive days. Today it logged 10 incidents (23% of the city total).
Traffic Stops Up 600% This Week
Traffic Stops incidents have risen sharply: 14 in the past 7 days compared to 2 the prior 7 days — a 600% increase. Today alone saw 2 traffic stops incidents.
4 Days Above Average
Bellingham has reported above-average incident counts for 4 consecutive days. The 30-day average is 36 per day; today's 43 continues the trend. This week is already at 43 incidents compared to 25 at this point last week.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 43 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Monday, January 5th, 2026. Published Tuesday, January 6th, 2026.
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