What Happened in Bellingham on Wednesday, March 18th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 63 incidents, up 17% from 54 the day before. 3 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 13 arrests.
The most common incident type was Other Non-criminal, accounting for 20 of 63 reports (32% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 11 incidents.
Overall activity was 32% above the 30-day average of 48 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Other Non-criminal led with 20 incidents (32% of total), followed by Disorderly Behavior (Non-Physical) with 8 and Theft with 7.
Death Investigation — up 200% over the past 7 days (6 incidents this week vs 2 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
What's in “Other Non-criminal”?
Overview
Violent Crime
3 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 5% of all incidents.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:45 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Lettered Streets | 1700 F St |
| 13:00 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Irongate | 3600 Iron Gate Rd |
| 19:39 | ARSON - RECKLESS BURNING | Downtown | 1300 Railroad Ave |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 13 arrests yesterday, involving 12 individuals. 2 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 21% of all incidents. Of the 13 arrests, 5 were Warrant Arrest, 3 were Traffic Stops, and 2 were Assault — Misdemeanor. This is down 24% from the 17 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:06 | MALICIOUS MISCHIEF | Other Criminal | Barkley |
| 01:45 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Assault — MisdemeanorViolent | Lettered Streets |
| 03:21 | WARRANT ARREST | Warrant Arrest | Lettered Streets |
| 06:23 | WARRANT ARREST | Warrant Arrest | Lettered Streets |
| 09:23 | THEFT | Theft | Meridian |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 17 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 11 incidents, followed by Cordata with 7 and York with 6.
2 specific locations have appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 2900 Squalicum Pkwy (7 of 7 days).
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 3 PM – 4 PM with 6 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 4am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 9 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 16, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 22, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 16. Afternoon was the busiest period overall.
Wednesdays in Bellingham typically average 54 incidents. Yesterday's total of 63 is 9 incidents above that 8-week average (17% higher).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 48.7 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 47.6 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
30-Day High: 63 Incidents
Today's 63 incidents is the highest single-day count in the past 30 days. The 30-day average is 48 per day — today is 31% above that baseline. Prior to today, the last time the count was this high was 39 days ago.
This Week Is Pacing Higher Than Last
Through Wednesday (3 days), this week has recorded 159 incidents — 21% more than the 131 reported at the same point last week. If the pace holds, the week could finish well above last week’s total.
Downtown: Most Active for 6 Straight Days
Downtown has been the most active neighborhood for 6 consecutive days. Today it logged 11 incidents (17% of the city total).
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 63 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Wednesday, March 18th, 2026. Published Thursday, March 19th, 2026.
Get the daily briefing
Free, every morning.