What Happened in Bellingham on Tuesday, May 12th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 31 incidents, down 14% from 36 the day before. 2 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 7 arrests.
The most common incident type was Vehicle Related, accounting for 4 of 31 reports (13% of total). The most active neighborhood was York with 5 incidents.
Activity was roughly in line with the 30-day average of 32 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Vehicle Related led with 4 incidents (13% of total), followed by Theft with 4 and Other Non-criminal with 4.
Driving Under the Influence — up 300% over the past 7 days (8 incidents this week vs 2 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
Overview
Violent Crime
2 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 6% of all incidents. This is unchanged from the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:16 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Happy Valley | 1000 Lenora Ct |
| 18:59 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Barkley | 3200 Racine 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 Theft, 2 were Warrant Arrest, and 1 was Assault — Misdemeanor. This is up 17% from the 6 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:52 | THEFT | Downtown | 1300 Block of Cornwall Ave |
| 11:35 | WARRANT ARREST | Barkley | 1300 Block of Woodstock Way |
| 12:02 | SHOPLIFTING | Meridian | 300 Block of E Bellis Fair Pkwy |
| 13:16 | ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent | Happy Valley | 1000 Block of Lenora Ct |
| 15:10 | POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY | York | 1500 Block of N State St |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 14 neighborhoods in Bellingham. York had the highest activity with 5 incidents, followed by Barkley with 5 and Meridian with 4.
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 10 AM – 11 AM with 3 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 2am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 3 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 10, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 10, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 8. Morning was the busiest period overall.
Tuesdays in Bellingham typically average 41 incidents. Yesterday's total of 31 is 10 incidents below that 8-week average (24% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 31.6 incidents per day, below the 30-day average of 31.7 — suggesting a quieter-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
This Week Is Pacing Higher Than Last
Through Tuesday (2 days), this week has recorded 67 incidents — 18% more than the 57 reported at the same point last week. If the pace holds, the week could finish well above last week’s total.
Driving Under the Influence Up 300% This Week
Driving Under the Influence incidents have risen sharply: 8 in the past 7 days compared to 2 the prior 7 days — a 300% increase.
Unusually Quiet for a Tuesday
31 incidents is 24% below the 8-week Tuesday average of 41. That's 10 fewer incidents than expected.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 31 incidents posted on BPD Activity Reports on Tuesday, May 12th, 2026.
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