What Happened in Bellingham on Friday, January 23rd, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 29 incidents, up 32% from 22 the day before. 1 violent crime was reported, and officers made 9 arrests.
The most common incident type was Disorder, accounting for 9 of 29 reports (31% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 8 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 9 incidents (31% of total), followed by Administrative with 7 and Behavioral Health with 3.
Disorder and Administrative were virtually tied, separated by just 2 incidents.
Trending: Drugs & Alcohol is up 167% over the past 7 days (8 incidents this week vs 3 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's In “Administrative”▶
Overview
Violent Crime
1 violent crime was reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 3% of all incidents. This is unchanged from the prior day.
The most common violent offense was ASSAULT - Misdemeanor with 1 of 1 incidents. Of 1 violent incidents, 0 resulted in an arrest — a 0% arrest rate.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:53 | ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent | Meridian | 4200 Block of Meridian St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 9 arrests yesterday, involving 8 individuals.
Arrests accounted for 31% of all incidents. Of the 9 arrests, 3 were Traffic & Vehicles, 3 were Theft & Burglary, and 1 was Fraud & Financial. This is up 13% from the 8 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:12 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | Sehome |
| 04:08 | IDENTITY THEFT - IMPERSONATION | Fraud & Financial | Meridian |
| 05:42 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Puget |
| 08:32 | DRUG - NARCOTICS VIOLATIONS | Drugs & Alcohol | Downtown |
| 08:53 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Meridian |
| 12:07 | SHOPLIFTING | Theft & Burglary | Meridian |
| 12:18 | WARRANT ARREST | Administrative | Meridian |
| 18:50 | THEFT | Theft & Burglary | Happy Valley |
| 18:50 | THEFT | Theft & Burglary | Happy Valley |
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 12 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 8 incidents, followed by Meridian with 7 and Lettered Streets with 3.
Downtown accounted for 28% of all incidents — a quarter or more of the city's activity in a single neighborhood.
2 specific locations have appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 4200 Block of Meridian St (5 of 7 days).
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 8 AM – 9 AM with 8 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 12am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 4 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 12, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 7, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 6. Morning was the busiest period overall.
Fridays in Bellingham typically average 40 incidents. Yesterday's total of 29 is 11 below that 8-week average (28% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 31.3 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 27.8 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Drugs & Alcohol Up 167% This Week
Drugs & Alcohol incidents have risen sharply: 8 in the past 7 days compared to 3 the prior 7 days — a 167% increase. Today alone saw 1 drugs & alcohol incident.
Unusually Quiet for a Friday
29 incidents is 28% below the 8-week Friday average of 40. That's 11 fewer incidents than expected.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 29 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Friday, January 23rd, 2026. Published Saturday, January 24th, 2026.
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What Happened in Bellingham on Friday, January 23rd, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 29 incidents, up 32% from 22 the day before. 1 violent crime was reported, and officers made 9 arrests.
The most common incident type was Disorder, accounting for 9 of 29 reports (31% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 8 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 9 incidents (31% of total), followed by Administrative with 7 and Behavioral Health with 3.
Disorder and Administrative were virtually tied, separated by just 2 incidents.
Trending: Drugs & Alcohol is up 167% over the past 7 days (8 incidents this week vs 3 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's In “Administrative”▶
Overview
Violent Crime
1 violent crime was reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 3% of all incidents. This is unchanged from the prior day.
The most common violent offense was ASSAULT - Misdemeanor with 1 of 1 incidents. Of 1 violent incidents, 0 resulted in an arrest — a 0% arrest rate.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:53 | ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent | Meridian | 4200 Block of Meridian St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 9 arrests yesterday, involving 8 individuals.
Arrests accounted for 31% of all incidents. Of the 9 arrests, 3 were Traffic & Vehicles, 3 were Theft & Burglary, and 1 was Fraud & Financial. This is up 13% from the 8 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:12 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | Sehome |
| 04:08 | IDENTITY THEFT - IMPERSONATION | Fraud & Financial | Meridian |
| 05:42 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Puget |
| 08:32 | DRUG - NARCOTICS VIOLATIONS | Drugs & Alcohol | Downtown |
| 08:53 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Meridian |
| 12:07 | SHOPLIFTING | Theft & Burglary | Meridian |
| 12:18 | WARRANT ARREST | Administrative | Meridian |
| 18:50 | THEFT | Theft & Burglary | Happy Valley |
| 18:50 | THEFT | Theft & Burglary | Happy Valley |
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 12 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 8 incidents, followed by Meridian with 7 and Lettered Streets with 3.
Downtown accounted for 28% of all incidents — a quarter or more of the city's activity in a single neighborhood.
2 specific locations have appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 4200 Block of Meridian St (5 of 7 days).
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 8 AM – 9 AM with 8 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 12am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 4 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 12, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 7, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 6. Morning was the busiest period overall.
Fridays in Bellingham typically average 40 incidents. Yesterday's total of 29 is 11 below that 8-week average (28% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 31.3 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 27.8 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Drugs & Alcohol Up 167% This Week
Drugs & Alcohol incidents have risen sharply: 8 in the past 7 days compared to 3 the prior 7 days — a 167% increase. Today alone saw 1 drugs & alcohol incident.
Unusually Quiet for a Friday
29 incidents is 28% below the 8-week Friday average of 40. That's 11 fewer incidents than expected.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 29 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Friday, January 23rd, 2026. Published Saturday, January 24th, 2026.
Get the daily briefing
Free, every morning.