What Happened in Bellingham on Thursday, April 16th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 31 incidents, up 29% from 24 the day before. 1 violent crime was reported, and officers made 6 arrests.
The most common incident type was Disorderly Behavior (Non-Physical), accounting for 7 of 31 reports (23% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 5 incidents.
Overall activity was 20% below the 30-day average of 39 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Disorderly Behavior (Non-Physical) led with 7 incidents (23% of total), followed by Behavioral Health with 5 and Suspicious Circumstance with 3.
Fraud & Forgery — up 300% over the past 7 days (4 incidents this week vs 1 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
Overview
Violent Crime
1 violent crime was reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 3% of all incidents.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21:03 | BURGLARY | Puget | 800 Lakeway Dr |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 6 arrests yesterday, involving 6 individuals. 1 arrest was related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 19% of all incidents. Of the 6 arrests, 2 were Warrant Arrest, 1 was Driving Under the Influence, and 1 was Drugs & Narcotics. This is up 50% from the 4 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:37 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Sunnyland | 700 Block of E North St |
| 07:29 | DRUG - NARCOTICS VIOLATIONS | Downtown | 200 Block of E Magnolia St |
| 09:19 | TRESPASS | Downtown | 100 Block of Flora St |
| 21:03 | BURGLARYViolent | Puget | 800 Block of Lakeway Dr |
| 21:46 | THEFT | Meridian | 000 Block of Bellis Fair Pkwy |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 15 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 5 incidents, followed by Meridian with 4 and Birchwood with 4.
1 specific location has appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 000 Bellis Fair Pkwy (4 of 7 days).
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 9 AM – 10 AM with 4 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 12am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 1 incident, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 10, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 8, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 12. Evening was the busiest period overall.
Thursdays in Bellingham typically average 46 incidents. Yesterday's total of 31 is 15 incidents below that 8-week average (33% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 31.9 incidents per day, below the 30-day average of 38.8 — suggesting a quieter-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Theft Up 260% This Week
Theft incidents have risen sharply: 18 in the past 7 days compared to 5 the prior 7 days — a 260% increase. Today alone saw 2 theft incidents.
Unusually Quiet for a Thursday
31 incidents is 33% below the 8-week Thursday average of 46. That's 15 fewer incidents than expected. This marks 2 consecutive days below the rolling average.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 31 incidents posted on BPD Activity Reports on Thursday, April 16th, 2026.
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