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Bellingham/Reports/March 9, 2026

What Happened in Bellingham on Sunday, March 8th, 2026

Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 30 incidents, up 30% from 23 the day before. 1 violent crime was reported, and officers made 7 arrests.

The most common incident type was Administrative, accounting for 11 of 30 reports (37% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 9 incidents.

Activity was roughly in line with the 30-day average of 33 incidents per day.

Incident activity heatmap by hour and day
Nonviolent
Nonviolent Arrest
Violent
Violent + Arrest

Incident Categories

Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Administrative led with 11 incidents (37% of total), followed by Disorder with 7 and Theft & Burglary with 3.

Trending: Sex Offenses is up 100% over the past 7 days (6 incidents this week vs 3 the prior week).

Incident Category Breakdown

What's In “Administrative”
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE4
PROPERTY - FOUND/RECOVERED2
JUVENILE PROBLEM2
ASSIST OTHER AGENCY1
MUNICIPAL CODE VIOLATION1
INFORMATION REPORT1
Total Incidents30 30%
Arrests7 17%
Violent1 0%
Non-Violent29 32%

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, 1 resulted in an arrest — a 100% arrest rate.

ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent
01:51·Downtown·200 Block of E Holly St

Arrests

Bellingham police made 7 arrests yesterday, involving 7 individuals. 1 arrest was related to violent incidents.

Arrests accounted for 23% of all incidents. Of the 7 arrests, 3 were Traffic & Vehicles, 2 were Administrative, and 1 was Assault & Violence. This is up 17% from the 6 arrests the prior day.

ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent
01:51·Assault & Violence·Downtown
TRAFFIC STOP (Violation)
09:41·Traffic & Vehicles·Roosevelt
TRAFFIC STOP (Violation)
11:51·Traffic & Vehicles·Whatcom Falls
DRUG - NARCOTICS VIOLATIONS
13:01·Drugs & Alcohol·Downtown
MUNICIPAL CODE VIOLATION
14:01·Administrative·Downtown
MUNICIPAL CODE VIOLATION
14:01·Administrative·Downtown
TRAFFIC STOP (Violation)
15:44·Traffic & Vehicles·Cornwall Park

Neighborhood Activity

Yesterday, incidents were reported across 14 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 9 incidents, followed by Meridian with 4 and Sehome with 2.

Downtown accounted for 30% of all incidents — a quarter or more of the city's activity in a single neighborhood.

Downtown9
Meridian4
Sehome2
Birchwood2
Happy Valley2
Cornwall Park2
Lettered Streets2
York1

1 specific location has appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 500 Block of Grand Ave (4 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 2am with no incidents reported.

Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 6 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 4, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 10, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 10. Afternoon was the busiest period overall.

Sundays in Bellingham typically average 31 incidents. Yesterday's total of 30 is 1 below that 8-week average (3% lower).

Key Patterns

This Week Is Pacing Lower Than Last

Through Sunday (7 days), this week has recorded 239 incidents — 14% fewer than the 278 reported at the same point last week. The current pace suggests this week may finish below last week.

Sex Offenses Up 100% This Week

Sex Offenses incidents have risen sharply: 6 in the past 7 days compared to 3 the prior 7 days — a 100% increase. Today alone saw 2 sex offenses incidents.

4 Days Below Average

Bellingham has reported below-average incident counts for 4 consecutive days. The 30-day average is 33 per day; today's 30 continues the quieter stretch. This week is at 239 incidents compared to 278 at this point last week.

Full Incident Log

This log contains all 30 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Sunday, March 8th, 2026. Published Monday, March 9th, 2026.

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