What Happened in Bellingham on Friday, May 15th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 27 incidents, down 27% from 37 the day before. 2 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 7 arrests.
The most common incident type was Disorderly Behavior (Non-Physical), accounting for 5 of 27 reports (19% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 7 incidents.
Overall activity was 11% below the 30-day average of 31 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Disorderly Behavior (Non-Physical) led with 5 incidents (19% of total), followed by Other Non-criminal with 4 and Warrant Arrest with 3.
Missing Person — up 500% over the past 7 days (6 incidents this week vs 1 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
Overview
Violent Crime
2 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 7% of all incidents. This is down 50% from the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:35 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Barkley | 1600 E Sunset Dr |
| 22:24 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Barkley | 3300 Racine St |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 7 arrests yesterday, involving 6 individuals. 1 arrest was related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 26% of all incidents. Of the 7 arrests, 3 were Warrant Arrest, 2 were Harassment, and 1 was Theft. This is down 30% from the 10 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:13 | HARASSMENT | Happy Valley | 2300 Block of Douglas Ave |
| 00:16 | WARRANT ARREST | Birchwood | 4000 Block of W Bakerview Rd |
| 15:40 | THEFT | Fairhaven | 1300 Block of 11th St |
| 17:27 | WARRANT ARREST | Happy Valley | 1700 Block of 22nd St |
| 19:10 | OBSTRUCTING A LAW ENF OFFICER | Downtown | 1500 Block of Cornwall Ave |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 12 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 7 incidents, followed by Barkley with 4 and Meridian with 4.
Downtown accounted for 26% of all incidents — a quarter or more of the city's activity in a single neighborhood.
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in Bellingham Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in Bellingham yesterday peaked between 12 AM – 1 AM with 4 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 2am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 7 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 3, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 8, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 9. Evening was the busiest period overall.
Fridays in Bellingham typically average 37 incidents. Yesterday's total of 27 is 10 incidents below that 8-week average (27% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 31.9 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 30.5 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
Missing Person Up 500% This Week
Missing Person incidents have risen sharply: 6 in the past 7 days compared to 1 the prior 7 days — a 500% increase.
Unusually Quiet for a Friday
27 incidents is 27% below the 8-week Friday average of 37. That's 10 fewer incidents than expected.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 27 incidents posted on BPD Activity Reports on Friday, May 15th, 2026.
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