What Happened in Bellingham on Thursday, January 15th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 53 incidents, down 17% from 64 the day before. 7 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 12 arrests.
The most common incident type was Other Non-criminal, accounting for 18 of 53 reports (34% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 8 incidents.
Overall activity was 44% above the 30-day average of 37 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Other Non-criminal led with 18 incidents (34% of total), followed by Theft with 7 and Behavioral Health with 5.
Burglary — up 500% over the past 7 days (6 incidents this week vs 1 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's in “Other Non-criminal”?
Overview
Violent Crime
7 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 13% of all incidents. This is up 250% from the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:11 | ASSAULT - Felony | Downtown | 100 W Laurel St |
| 09:56 | KIDNAP - Unlawful Imprisonment | Barkley | 3700 E Mcleod Rd |
| 12:10 | ASSAULT - Felony | Cordata | 500 Darby Dr |
| 14:02 | ASSAULT - Felony | King Mountain | 4300 Creston Way |
| 18:46 | BURGLARY | Downtown | 100 E Holly St |
| View All | |||
Arrests
Bellingham police made 12 arrests yesterday, involving 12 individuals. 5 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 23% of all incidents. Of the 12 arrests, 4 were Theft, 3 were Warrant Arrest, and 2 were Assault — Felony. This is down 20% from the 15 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:11 | ASSAULT - Felony | Assault — FelonyViolent | Downtown |
| 08:46 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic Stops | Birchwood |
| 08:49 | VIOLATION OF A COURT ORDER | Court Order Violations | Happy Valley |
| 12:10 | ASSAULT - Felony | Assault — FelonyViolent | Cordata |
| 13:21 | THEFT | Theft | Roosevelt |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 19 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 8 incidents, followed by Puget with 7 and Sehome with 4.
2 specific locations have appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 500 Grand Ave (6 of 7 days).
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 12 PM – 1 PM with 7 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 2am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 7 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 14, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 20, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 12. Afternoon was the busiest period overall.
Thursdays in Bellingham typically average 38 incidents. Yesterday's total of 53 is 15 incidents above that 8-week average (39% higher).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 47.3 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 36.9 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
This Week Is Pacing Higher Than Last
Through Thursday (4 days), this week has recorded 215 incidents — 10% more than the 195 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 8 Straight Days
Downtown has been the most active neighborhood for 8 consecutive days. Today it logged 8 incidents (15% of the city total).
Burglary Up 500% This Week
Burglary incidents have risen sharply: 6 in the past 7 days compared to 1 the prior 7 days — a 500% increase. Today alone saw 2 burglary incidents.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 53 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Thursday, January 15th, 2026. Published Friday, January 16th, 2026.
Get the daily briefing
Free, every morning.