What Happened in Bellingham on Friday, January 23rd, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 44 incidents, up 22% from 36 the day before. 1 violent crime was reported, and officers made 10 arrests.
The most common incident type was Theft, accounting for 9 of 44 reports (20% of total). The most active neighborhood was Meridian with 10 incidents.
Activity was roughly in line with the 30-day average of 41 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Theft led with 9 incidents (20% of total), followed by Disorderly Behavior (Non-Physical) with 9 and Other Non-criminal with 6.
Drugs & Narcotics — up 300% over the past 7 days (12 incidents this week vs 3 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's in “Other Non-criminal”?
Overview
Violent Crime
1 violent crime was reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 2% of all incidents. This is down 67% from the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:53 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Meridian | 4200 Meridian St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 10 arrests yesterday, involving 10 individuals.
Arrests accounted for 23% of all incidents. Of the 10 arrests, 4 were Theft, 2 were Driving Under the Influence, and 2 were Traffic Stops. This is down 9% from the 11 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:12 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Driving Under the Influence | Sehome |
| 02:12 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Driving Under the Influence | Sunnyland |
| 04:08 | IDENTITY THEFT - IMPERSONATION | Fraud & Forgery | Meridian |
| 05:42 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic Stops | Puget |
| 08:32 | DRUG - NARCOTICS VIOLATIONS | Drugs & Narcotics | Downtown |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 13 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Meridian had the highest activity with 10 incidents, followed by Downtown with 9 and Birchwood with 4.
4 specific locations have appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 000 Bellis Fair Pkwy (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 9 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 12am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 6 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 13, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 13, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 12. Morning was the busiest period overall.
Fridays in Bellingham typically average 46 incidents. Yesterday's total of 44 is 2 incidents below that 8-week average (3% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 50.0 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 41.2 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Drugs & Narcotics Up 300% This Week
Drugs & Narcotics incidents have risen sharply: 12 in the past 7 days compared to 3 the prior 7 days — a 300% increase. Today alone saw 2 drugs & narcotics incidents.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 44 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Friday, January 23rd, 2026. Published Saturday, January 24th, 2026.
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