What Happened in Bellingham on Thursday, March 19th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 53 incidents, down 16% from 63 the day before. 1 violent crime was reported, and officers made 12 arrests.
The most common incident type was Other Non-criminal, accounting for 10 of 53 reports (19% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 12 incidents.
Activity was roughly in line with the 30-day average of 48 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Other Non-criminal led with 10 incidents (19% of total), followed by Disorderly Behavior (Non-Physical) with 9 and Theft with 6.
Court Order Violations — up 133% over the past 7 days (7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08:42 | ARSON - RECKLESS BURNING | York | 1400 N Forest St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 12 arrests yesterday, involving 12 individuals.
Arrests accounted for 23% of all incidents. Of the 12 arrests, 5 were Warrant Arrest, 3 were Theft, and 2 were Driving Under the Influence. This is down 8% from the 13 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Category | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02:57 | WARRANT ARREST | Warrant Arrest | Meridian |
| 08:22 | WARRANT ARREST | Warrant Arrest | York |
| 10:58 | WARRANT ARREST | Warrant Arrest | Sunnyland |
| 11:44 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Driving Under the Influence | South Hill |
| 15:21 | THEFT | Theft | Meridian |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 17 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 12 incidents, followed by Meridian with 9 and Sunnyland with 5.
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 8 AM – 9 AM with 5 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 1am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 3 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 16, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 16, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 18. Evening was the busiest period overall.
Thursdays in Bellingham typically average 50 incidents. Yesterday's total of 53 is 3 incidents above that 8-week average (6% higher).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 50.6 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 48.4 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
This Week Is Pacing Higher Than Last
Through Thursday (4 days), this week has recorded 212 incidents — 12% more than the 189 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 7 Straight Days
Downtown has been the most active neighborhood for 7 consecutive days. Today it logged 12 incidents (23% of the city total).
Court Order Violations Up 133% This Week
Court Order Violations incidents have risen sharply: 7 in the past 7 days compared to 3 the prior 7 days — a 133% increase.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 53 incidents reported to the Bellingham Police Department on Thursday, March 19th, 2026. Published Friday, March 20th, 2026.
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