Bellingham Public Safety This Month

Over the past 30 days (Feb 11 – Mar 12, 2026), Bellingham reported 981 incidents, +3% more than the prior month. Administrative was the most common incident type, with 339 reports accounting for 35% of the total.

Of 981 incidents, 78 involved violent crimes (8% of total, 6% lower than the prior month). Officers made 282 arrests involving 257 individuals, and 27% of incidents led to an arrest. Of those, 30 were for violent offenses.

Incidents were reported across 26 Bellingham neighborhoods. Downtown had the highest activity, with 150 incidents (15% of total), followed by Meridian with 147 incidents, and Lettered Streets with 94 incidents.

The top 3 neighborhoods accounted for 40% of all incidents. Lettered Streets saw the biggest month-over-month increase, with 94 incidents compared to 69 the prior month (+36%). 90 blocks reported more than one incident.

Bellingham reported incidents across 12 categories. Administrative led with 339 incidents, representing 35% of the total, followed by Disorder with 126 incidents, and Behavioral Health with 124 incidents.

Traffic & Vehicles surged 36% month over month, with 109 incidents compared to 80 the prior month. Overall, 1 category is trending up, and 10 are trending down.

Week 3 (Feb 27 – Mar 5) was the busiest with 282 incidents; the quietest was Week 4 at 204 — a spread of 78.

The biggest single-week swing came in Week 4, with -78 incidents (-28%) compared to the week before. Weekdays averaged 34 incidents per day, while weekends averaged 30 — 13% higher on weekdays.

Activity peaked between 12pm–1pm with 78 incidents across 30 days, while the quietest hour was 3am–4am, with just 9 incidents.

Morning (6am–noon): 248 incidents, or 25% of the total. Afternoon (noon–6pm): 335 incidents, or 34% of the total. Evening (6pm–10pm): 187 incidents, or 19% of the total. Overnight (10pm–6am): 211 incidents, or 22% of the total. Overall, the afternoon period had the most activity, accounting for 34% of all incidents.

Compared to the prior month, the peak hour shifted from 1pm–2pm to 12pm–1pm. Overnight incidents rose 19%: 211 compared to 178 the prior month. The 12pm–1pm window was the peak hour on 7 of 30 days. The single busiest day-hour combination was Feb 11 at 4pm–5pm, with 9 incidents.