What Happened in Bellingham on Saturday, January 17th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 29 incidents, up 4% from 28 the day before. 5 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 12 arrests.
The most common incident type was Traffic & Vehicles, accounting for 6 of 29 reports (21% of total). The most active neighborhood was Meridian with 10 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. Traffic & Vehicles led with 6 incidents (21% of total), followed by Disorder with 4 and Administrative with 4.
Traffic & Vehicles and Disorder were virtually tied, separated by just 2 incidents.
Trending: Fraud & Financial is up 150% over the past 7 days (5 incidents this week vs 2 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's In “Administrative”▶
Overview
Violent Crime
5 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 17% of all incidents. This is down 17% from the prior day.
The most common violent offense was ASSAULT - Misdemeanor with 2 of 5 incidents, followed by COLLISION - HIT & RUN with 1. Of 5 violent incidents, 4 resulted in an arrest — a 80% arrest rate.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14:45 | ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent | Downtown | 100 Block of E Holly St |
| 17:31 | COLLISION - HIT & RUNViolent | Sunnyland | 1900 Block of King St |
| 19:16 | BURGLARYViolent | Meridian | 300 Block of E Bellis Fair Pkwy |
| 19:40 | ASSAULT - FelonyViolent | Cornwall Park | 2900 Block of Squalicum Pkwy |
| 21:42 | ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent | Meridian | 4100 Block of Meridian St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 12 arrests yesterday, involving 12 individuals. 4 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 41% of all incidents. Of the 12 arrests, 5 were Traffic & Vehicles, 3 were Theft & Burglary, and 3 were Assault & Violence. This is up 140% from the 5 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:55 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Sehome |
| 02:43 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | Downtown |
| 03:26 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Columbia |
| 07:37 | DRUG - NARCOTICS VIOLATIONS | Drugs & Alcohol | Downtown |
| 10:12 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Meridian |
| 11:42 | THEFT | Theft & Burglary | Puget |
| 13:00 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Meridian |
| 13:50 | SHOPLIFTING | Theft & Burglary | Puget |
| 14:45 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Assault & ViolenceViolent | Downtown |
| 19:16 | BURGLARY | Theft & BurglaryViolent | Meridian |
| 19:40 | ASSAULT - Felony | Assault & ViolenceViolent | Cornwall Park |
| 21:42 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Assault & ViolenceViolent | Meridian |
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 14 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Meridian had the highest activity with 10 incidents, followed by Downtown with 4 and Puget with 2.
Meridian accounted for 34% of all incidents — a quarter or more of the city's activity in a single neighborhood.
1 specific location has 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 2 PM – 3 PM with 4 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 4am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 5 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 5, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 9, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 10. Evening was the busiest period overall.
Saturdays in Bellingham typically average 31 incidents. Yesterday's total of 29 is 2 below that 8-week average (6% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 29.7 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 28.0 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Fraud & Financial Up 150% This Week
Fraud & Financial incidents have risen sharply: 5 in the past 7 days compared to 2 the prior 7 days — a 150% increase.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 29 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Saturday, January 17th, 2026. Published Sunday, January 18th, 2026.
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What Happened in Bellingham on Saturday, January 17th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 29 incidents, up 4% from 28 the day before. 5 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 12 arrests.
The most common incident type was Traffic & Vehicles, accounting for 6 of 29 reports (21% of total). The most active neighborhood was Meridian with 10 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. Traffic & Vehicles led with 6 incidents (21% of total), followed by Disorder with 4 and Administrative with 4.
Traffic & Vehicles and Disorder were virtually tied, separated by just 2 incidents.
Trending: Fraud & Financial is up 150% over the past 7 days (5 incidents this week vs 2 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's In “Administrative”▶
Overview
Violent Crime
5 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 17% of all incidents. This is down 17% from the prior day.
The most common violent offense was ASSAULT - Misdemeanor with 2 of 5 incidents, followed by COLLISION - HIT & RUN with 1. Of 5 violent incidents, 4 resulted in an arrest — a 80% arrest rate.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14:45 | ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent | Downtown | 100 Block of E Holly St |
| 17:31 | COLLISION - HIT & RUNViolent | Sunnyland | 1900 Block of King St |
| 19:16 | BURGLARYViolent | Meridian | 300 Block of E Bellis Fair Pkwy |
| 19:40 | ASSAULT - FelonyViolent | Cornwall Park | 2900 Block of Squalicum Pkwy |
| 21:42 | ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent | Meridian | 4100 Block of Meridian St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 12 arrests yesterday, involving 12 individuals. 4 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 41% of all incidents. Of the 12 arrests, 5 were Traffic & Vehicles, 3 were Theft & Burglary, and 3 were Assault & Violence. This is up 140% from the 5 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:55 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Sehome |
| 02:43 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | Downtown |
| 03:26 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Columbia |
| 07:37 | DRUG - NARCOTICS VIOLATIONS | Drugs & Alcohol | Downtown |
| 10:12 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Meridian |
| 11:42 | THEFT | Theft & Burglary | Puget |
| 13:00 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Meridian |
| 13:50 | SHOPLIFTING | Theft & Burglary | Puget |
| 14:45 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Assault & ViolenceViolent | Downtown |
| 19:16 | BURGLARY | Theft & BurglaryViolent | Meridian |
| 19:40 | ASSAULT - Felony | Assault & ViolenceViolent | Cornwall Park |
| 21:42 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Assault & ViolenceViolent | Meridian |
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 14 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Meridian had the highest activity with 10 incidents, followed by Downtown with 4 and Puget with 2.
Meridian accounted for 34% of all incidents — a quarter or more of the city's activity in a single neighborhood.
1 specific location has 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 2 PM – 3 PM with 4 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 4am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 5 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 5, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 9, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 10. Evening was the busiest period overall.
Saturdays in Bellingham typically average 31 incidents. Yesterday's total of 29 is 2 below that 8-week average (6% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 29.7 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 28.0 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Fraud & Financial Up 150% This Week
Fraud & Financial incidents have risen sharply: 5 in the past 7 days compared to 2 the prior 7 days — a 150% increase.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 29 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Saturday, January 17th, 2026. Published Sunday, January 18th, 2026.
Get the daily briefing
Free, every morning.