What Happened in Bellingham on Friday, January 16th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 28 incidents, unchanged from 28 the day before. 6 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 5 arrests.
The most common incident type was Disorder, accounting for 6 of 28 reports (21% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 6 incidents.
Activity was roughly in line with the 30-day average of 28 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Disorder led with 6 incidents (21% of total), followed by Administrative with 5 and Theft & Burglary with 5.
Disorder and Administrative were virtually tied, separated by just 1 incident.
Trending: Fraud & Financial is up 100% over the past 7 days (4 incidents this week vs 2 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's In “Administrative”▶
Overview
Violent Crime
6 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 21% of all incidents. This is up 50% from the prior day.
The most common violent offense was BURGLARY with 3 of 6 incidents, followed by FIGHT with 1. Of 6 violent incidents, 3 resulted in an arrest — a 50% arrest rate.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03:00 | BURGLARYViolent | Birchwood | 1400 Block of Birchwood Ave |
| 12:33 | BURGLARYViolent | Columbia | 2900 Block of Victor St |
| 15:00 | FIGHTViolent | Birchwood | 2700 Block of Alderwood Ave |
| 16:00 | EXPLOSIVESViolent | Downtown | 000 Block of Zoutside City Limits |
| 17:01 | COLLISION - HIT & RUNViolent | Meridian | 000 Block of Bellis Fair Pkwy |
| 17:08 | BURGLARYViolent | Columbia | 1900 Block of W Illinois St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 5 arrests yesterday, involving 4 individuals. 3 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 18% of all incidents. Of the 5 arrests, 3 were Theft & Burglary, 1 was Traffic & Vehicles, and 1 was Fraud & Financial. This is down 37% from the 8 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03:00 | BURGLARY | Theft & BurglaryViolent | Birchwood |
| 11:36 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | Lettered Streets |
| 12:33 | BURGLARY | Theft & BurglaryViolent | Columbia |
| 17:08 | BURGLARY | Theft & BurglaryViolent | Columbia |
| 20:28 | FALSE STATEMENT OR REPORTING | Fraud & Financial | Sunnyland |
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 11 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 6 incidents, followed by Meridian with 4 and Roosevelt with 3.
2 specific locations have appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 800 Block of Lakeway Dr (4 of 7 days).
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 11 AM – 12 PM with 4 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 2am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 5 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 6, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 7, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 10. Evening was the busiest period overall.
Fridays in Bellingham typically average 44 incidents. Yesterday's total of 28 is 16 below that 8-week average (37% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 30.3 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 28.4 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Behavioral Health Up 76% This Week
Behavioral Health incidents have risen sharply: 37 in the past 7 days compared to 21 the prior 7 days — a 76% increase. Today alone saw 3 behavioral health incidents.
Unusually Quiet for a Friday
28 incidents is 37% below the 8-week Friday average of 44. That's 16 fewer incidents than expected. This marks 2 consecutive days below the rolling average.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 28 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Friday, January 16th, 2026. Published Saturday, January 17th, 2026.
Get the daily briefing
Free, every morning.
What Happened in Bellingham on Friday, January 16th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 28 incidents, unchanged from 28 the day before. 6 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 5 arrests.
The most common incident type was Disorder, accounting for 6 of 28 reports (21% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 6 incidents.
Activity was roughly in line with the 30-day average of 28 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Disorder led with 6 incidents (21% of total), followed by Administrative with 5 and Theft & Burglary with 5.
Disorder and Administrative were virtually tied, separated by just 1 incident.
Trending: Fraud & Financial is up 100% over the past 7 days (4 incidents this week vs 2 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's In “Administrative”▶
Overview
Violent Crime
6 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 21% of all incidents. This is up 50% from the prior day.
The most common violent offense was BURGLARY with 3 of 6 incidents, followed by FIGHT with 1. Of 6 violent incidents, 3 resulted in an arrest — a 50% arrest rate.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03:00 | BURGLARYViolent | Birchwood | 1400 Block of Birchwood Ave |
| 12:33 | BURGLARYViolent | Columbia | 2900 Block of Victor St |
| 15:00 | FIGHTViolent | Birchwood | 2700 Block of Alderwood Ave |
| 16:00 | EXPLOSIVESViolent | Downtown | 000 Block of Zoutside City Limits |
| 17:01 | COLLISION - HIT & RUNViolent | Meridian | 000 Block of Bellis Fair Pkwy |
| 17:08 | BURGLARYViolent | Columbia | 1900 Block of W Illinois St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 5 arrests yesterday, involving 4 individuals. 3 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 18% of all incidents. Of the 5 arrests, 3 were Theft & Burglary, 1 was Traffic & Vehicles, and 1 was Fraud & Financial. This is down 37% from the 8 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03:00 | BURGLARY | Theft & BurglaryViolent | Birchwood |
| 11:36 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | Lettered Streets |
| 12:33 | BURGLARY | Theft & BurglaryViolent | Columbia |
| 17:08 | BURGLARY | Theft & BurglaryViolent | Columbia |
| 20:28 | FALSE STATEMENT OR REPORTING | Fraud & Financial | Sunnyland |
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 11 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 6 incidents, followed by Meridian with 4 and Roosevelt with 3.
2 specific locations have appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 800 Block of Lakeway Dr (4 of 7 days).
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 11 AM – 12 PM with 4 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 2am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 5 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 6, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 7, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 10. Evening was the busiest period overall.
Fridays in Bellingham typically average 44 incidents. Yesterday's total of 28 is 16 below that 8-week average (37% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 30.3 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 28.4 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Behavioral Health Up 76% This Week
Behavioral Health incidents have risen sharply: 37 in the past 7 days compared to 21 the prior 7 days — a 76% increase. Today alone saw 3 behavioral health incidents.
Unusually Quiet for a Friday
28 incidents is 37% below the 8-week Friday average of 44. That's 16 fewer incidents than expected. This marks 2 consecutive days below the rolling average.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 28 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Friday, January 16th, 2026. Published Saturday, January 17th, 2026.
Get the daily briefing
Free, every morning.