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Bellingham/Reports/January 12, 2026

What Happened in Bellingham on Sunday, January 11th, 2026

Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 32 incidents, down 20% from 40 the day before. 4 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 5 arrests.

The most common incident type was Behavioral Health, accounting for 6 of 32 reports (19% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 5 incidents.

Overall activity was 11% below the 30-day average of 36 incidents per day.

Incident activity heatmap by hour and day
Nonviolent
Nonviolent Arrest
Violent
Violent + Arrest

Incident Categories

Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Behavioral Health led with 6 incidents (19% of total), followed by Theft with 5 and Domestic Violence (no assault) with 3.

Sex Crimeup 500% over the past 7 days (6 incidents this week vs 1 the prior week).

Incident Category Breakdown

What's in “Other Non-criminal”?
CIVIL CASE1
INFORMATION REPORT1
Total Incidents32 20%
Arrests5 17%
Violent4 0%
Non-Violent28 22%

Violent Crime

4 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 13% of all incidents. This is unchanged from the prior day.

STALKING
00:11·Meridian·200 E Bakerview Rd
ASSAULT - Misdemeanor
01:00·King Mountain·4400 Gooding Ave
ASSAULT - Misdemeanor
14:34·Birchwood·3400 Northwest Ave
RAPE
23:00·Cornwall Park·2700 N Park Dr

Arrests

Bellingham police made 5 arrests yesterday, involving 5 individuals. 2 arrests were related to violent incidents.

Arrests accounted for 16% of all incidents. Of the 5 arrests, 1 was Harassment, 1 was Traffic Stops, and 1 was Driving Under the Influence. This is down 17% from the 6 arrests the prior day.

STALKINGViolent
00:11·Harassment·Meridian
TRAFFIC STOP (Violation)
00:56·Traffic Stops·York
DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
01:12·Driving Under the Influence·Sehome
ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent
14:34·Assault — Misdemeanor·Birchwood
VIOLATION OF A COURT ORDER
15:41·Court Order Violations·Sehome

Neighborhood Activity

Yesterday, incidents were reported across 16 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 5 incidents, followed by Sehome with 4 and Meridian with 4.

Downtown5
Sehome4
Meridian4
Happy Valley3
York2
Puget2
Cordata2
Birchwood2

1 specific location has appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 500 Grand Ave (5 of 7 days).

Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →

Hourly Breakdown

Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 1 AM – 2 AM with 3 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 3am with no incidents reported.

Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 6 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 4, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 12, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 10. Afternoon was the busiest period overall.

Sundays in Bellingham typically average 36 incidents. Yesterday's total of 32 is 4 incidents below that 8-week average (12% lower).

Key Patterns

This Week Is Pacing Higher Than Last

Through Sunday (7 days), this week has recorded 316 incidents — 25% more than the 252 reported at the same point last week. If the pace holds, the week could finish well above last week’s total.

Downtown: Most Active for 4 Straight Days

Downtown has been the most active neighborhood for 4 consecutive days. Today it logged 5 incidents (16% of the city total).

Sex Crime Up 500% This Week

Sex Crime incidents have risen sharply: 6 in the past 7 days compared to 1 the prior 7 days — a 500% increase.

Full Incident Log

This log contains all 32 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Sunday, January 11th, 2026. Published Monday, January 12th, 2026.

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