What Happened in Bellingham on Friday, February 20th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 17 incidents, down 48% from 33 the day before. 2 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 10 arrests.
The most common incident type was Administrative, accounting for 5 of 17 reports (29% of total). The most active neighborhood was Meridian with 4 incidents.
Overall activity was 45% below the 30-day average of 31 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 7 categories. Administrative led with 5 incidents (29% of total), followed by Traffic & Vehicles with 4 and Behavioral Health with 3.
Administrative and Traffic & Vehicles 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
2 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 12% of all incidents. This is unchanged from the prior day.
The most common violent offense was ASSAULT - Misdemeanor with 1 of 2 incidents, followed by COLLISION - HIT & RUN with 1. Of 2 violent incidents, 2 resulted in an arrest — a 100% arrest rate.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:40 | ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent | Birchwood | 1400 Block of Birchwood Ave |
| 18:47 | COLLISION - HIT & RUNViolent | Samish | 500 Block of Lincoln St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 10 arrests yesterday, involving 8 individuals. 2 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 59% of all incidents. Of the 10 arrests, 4 were Traffic & Vehicles, 3 were Administrative, and 2 were Theft & Burglary. This is up 11% from the 9 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:10 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | Downtown |
| 02:59 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Barkley |
| 10:48 | WARRANT ARREST | Administrative | Silver Beach |
| 12:37 | THEFT | Theft & Burglary | Meridian |
| 12:37 | WARRANT ARREST | Administrative | Meridian |
| 12:37 | THEFT | Theft & Burglary | Meridian |
| 12:40 | WARRANT ARREST | Administrative | Meridian |
| 14:15 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Meridian |
| 15:40 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Assault & ViolenceViolent | Birchwood |
| 18:47 | COLLISION - HIT & RUN | Traffic & VehiclesViolent | Samish |
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 11 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Meridian had the highest activity with 4 incidents, followed by Downtown with 3 and Puget with 2.
2 specific locations have appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 500 Block of Grand Ave (5 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 4 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 12am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 3 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 4, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 8, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 2. Afternoon was the busiest period overall.
Fridays in Bellingham typically average 33 incidents. Yesterday's total of 17 is 16 below that 8-week average (48% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 29.6 incidents per day, below the 30-day average of 31.1 — suggesting a quieter-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
30-Day Low: 17 Incidents
Today's 17 incidents is the lowest single-day count in the past 30 days. The 30-day average is 31 per day — today is 45% below that baseline. The last time the count was this low was 47 days ago.
This Week Is Pacing Lower Than Last
Through Friday (5 days), this week has recorded 129 incidents — 22% fewer than the 165 reported at the same point last week. The current pace suggests this week may finish below last week.
Traffic & Vehicles Up 65% This Week
Traffic & Vehicles incidents have risen sharply: 33 in the past 7 days compared to 20 the prior 7 days — a 65% increase. Today alone saw 4 traffic & vehicles incidents.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 17 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Friday, February 20th, 2026. Published Saturday, February 21st, 2026.
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What Happened in Bellingham on Friday, February 20th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 17 incidents, down 48% from 33 the day before. 2 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 10 arrests.
The most common incident type was Administrative, accounting for 5 of 17 reports (29% of total). The most active neighborhood was Meridian with 4 incidents.
Overall activity was 45% below the 30-day average of 31 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 7 categories. Administrative led with 5 incidents (29% of total), followed by Traffic & Vehicles with 4 and Behavioral Health with 3.
Administrative and Traffic & Vehicles 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
2 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 12% of all incidents. This is unchanged from the prior day.
The most common violent offense was ASSAULT - Misdemeanor with 1 of 2 incidents, followed by COLLISION - HIT & RUN with 1. Of 2 violent incidents, 2 resulted in an arrest — a 100% arrest rate.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15:40 | ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent | Birchwood | 1400 Block of Birchwood Ave |
| 18:47 | COLLISION - HIT & RUNViolent | Samish | 500 Block of Lincoln St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 10 arrests yesterday, involving 8 individuals. 2 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 59% of all incidents. Of the 10 arrests, 4 were Traffic & Vehicles, 3 were Administrative, and 2 were Theft & Burglary. This is up 11% from the 9 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:10 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Traffic & Vehicles | Downtown |
| 02:59 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Barkley |
| 10:48 | WARRANT ARREST | Administrative | Silver Beach |
| 12:37 | THEFT | Theft & Burglary | Meridian |
| 12:37 | WARRANT ARREST | Administrative | Meridian |
| 12:37 | THEFT | Theft & Burglary | Meridian |
| 12:40 | WARRANT ARREST | Administrative | Meridian |
| 14:15 | TRAFFIC STOP (Violation) | Traffic & Vehicles | Meridian |
| 15:40 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Assault & ViolenceViolent | Birchwood |
| 18:47 | COLLISION - HIT & RUN | Traffic & VehiclesViolent | Samish |
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 11 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Meridian had the highest activity with 4 incidents, followed by Downtown with 3 and Puget with 2.
2 specific locations have appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 500 Block of Grand Ave (5 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 4 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 12am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 3 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 4, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 8, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 2. Afternoon was the busiest period overall.
Fridays in Bellingham typically average 33 incidents. Yesterday's total of 17 is 16 below that 8-week average (48% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 29.6 incidents per day, below the 30-day average of 31.1 — suggesting a quieter-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
30-Day Low: 17 Incidents
Today's 17 incidents is the lowest single-day count in the past 30 days. The 30-day average is 31 per day — today is 45% below that baseline. The last time the count was this low was 47 days ago.
This Week Is Pacing Lower Than Last
Through Friday (5 days), this week has recorded 129 incidents — 22% fewer than the 165 reported at the same point last week. The current pace suggests this week may finish below last week.
Traffic & Vehicles Up 65% This Week
Traffic & Vehicles incidents have risen sharply: 33 in the past 7 days compared to 20 the prior 7 days — a 65% increase. Today alone saw 4 traffic & vehicles incidents.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 17 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Friday, February 20th, 2026. Published Saturday, February 21st, 2026.
Get the daily briefing
Free, every morning.