What Happened in Bellingham on Saturday, May 16th, 2026
Yesterday in Bellingham, police responded to 18 incidents, down 33% from 27 the day before. 2 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 8 arrests.
The most common incident type was Driving Under the Influence, accounting for 4 of 18 reports (22% of total). The most active neighborhood was Downtown with 5 incidents.
Overall activity was 41% below the 30-day average of 31 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, Bellingham reported incidents across 8 categories. Driving Under the Influence led with 4 incidents (22% of total), followed by Warrant Arrest with 3 and Other Non-criminal with 3.
Burglary — up 200% over the past 7 days (3 incidents this week vs 1 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
Overview
Violent Crime
2 violent crimes were reported in Bellingham yesterday, accounting for 11% of all incidents. This is unchanged from the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03:39 | ASSAULT - Misdemeanor | Samish | 1300 38th St |
| 16:38 | ASSAULT - Felony | Whatcom Falls | 2300 Lisa Ln |
Arrests
Bellingham police made 8 arrests yesterday, involving 7 individuals. 2 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 44% of all incidents. Of the 8 arrests, 3 were Driving Under the Influence, 3 were Warrant Arrest, and 1 was Assault — Misdemeanor. This is up 14% from the 7 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:49 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Downtown | 1100 Block of Railroad Ave |
| 00:50 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Puget | 800 Block of Lakeway Dr |
| 01:16 | WARRANT ARREST | Meridian | 200 Block of Tull Ct |
| 01:49 | DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE | Sehome | 1100 Block of Liberty St |
| 03:39 | ASSAULT - MisdemeanorViolent | Samish | 1300 Block of 38th St |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 9 neighborhoods in Bellingham. Downtown had the highest activity with 5 incidents, followed by Samish with 3 and Meridian with 3.
Downtown accounted for 28% 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 3 incidents during that hour. The quietest period was 5am with no incidents reported.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 10 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 0, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 5, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 3. Overnight was the busiest period overall.
Saturdays in Bellingham typically average 30 incidents. Yesterday's total of 18 is 12 incidents below that 8-week average (40% lower).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 30.3 incidents per day, below the 30-day average of 30.6 — suggesting a quieter-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
This Week Is Pacing Lower Than Last
Through Saturday (6 days), this week has recorded 165 incidents — 12% fewer than the 187 reported at the same point last week. The current pace suggests this week may finish below last week.
Missing Person Up 150% This Week
Missing Person incidents have risen sharply: 5 in the past 7 days compared to 2 the prior 7 days — a 150% increase.
Unusually Quiet for a Saturday
18 incidents is 40% below the 8-week Saturday average of 30. That's 12 fewer incidents than expected. This marks 2 consecutive days below the rolling average.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 18 incidents posted on BPD Activity Reports on Saturday, May 16th, 2026.
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