Assault up 160% this week; 10 arrests Friday
Good Evening, Bellingham!
Assault incidents have more than doubled this week compared to last. Friday added two more to the count: a pair of adults cited together at 1:18 AM on Northwest Ave in Columbia, and a juvenile fight in Roosevelt late afternoon.
At a Glance
The day started early and stayed busy. An assault citation at 1:18 AM, a mental health emergency response at 3:29 AM, and a DUI arrest at 5:15 AM all came before sunrise. Activity picked up again around noon with a cluster of welfare checks and behavioral health contacts in Birchwood and the Lettered Streets, then shifted to retail theft in the evening hours.
Meridian and Columbia each saw multiple responses, but no single neighborhood dominated. The 300 Block of E Bellis Fair Pkwy, the hotel cluster near Bellis Fair, logged a mental health emergency and a shoplifting arrest.
Category Breakdown
Welfare led the day with 7 incidents, mostly behavioral health contacts spread across Birchwood, Meridian, and the Lettered Streets. Theft came in second with 5 incidents, all but one resulting in an arrest. The assault trend that started earlier this week continued: 13 assault incidents in the past 7 days versus 5 the week before.
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Timeline Analysis
Intel Briefs
Assault Calls Warrant Weekend Attention
Assault incidents are up 160% week-over-week (13 vs 5 in the prior seven days).
Quieter Week May Shift Saturday
This week is tracking 20% below last week through Friday, but Saturdays are historically the quietest day (averaging 25 incidents). If the pattern holds, expect a continued lull in total incidents.
Theft Climbing Toward Meridian Retail
Theft calls are up 35% week-over-week, and Meridian led yesterday's activity. The Walmart area and Bellis Fair retail cluster typically see weekend shoplifting spikes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's in the "Other" category?
The "Other" category includes 5 incidents that don't fit into our main categories. Here's the breakdown:
Where does this data come from?
All incident data is sourced directly from the official Bellingham Police Department Daily Activity Log. We aggregate and analyze this public information to provide community insights. Our data is updated daily and reflects only what the department publicly reports.