Monday's midday surge hits Lettered Streets with 37 incidents
Happy Tuesday, Bellingham!
Yesterday brought a steady stream of activity across Bellingham, with 37 incidents keeping officers busy from dawn through late evening. The Lettered Streets district absorbed a third of the day's calls, while midday hours saw the most concentrated activity. Despite the volume, our community maintained its relatively peaceful character with most incidents involving property crimes and administrative matters rather than violence.
At a Glance
While the Lettered Streets absorbed twelve incidents yesterday, the impact spread across fifteen neighborhoods total. Cordata's four incidents and Columbia's three rounded out the busier zones, but single incidents touched everywhere from WWU campus to Fairhaven, showing how public safety needs span our entire community.
Today's late morning hours could see similar activity levels based on yesterday's pattern, particularly downtown and near retail centers. Business owners might want extra vigilance during the 10 AM to noon window, while residents can expect relatively peaceful evening hours as we've seen this trend holding through early autumn.
Category Breakdown
The predominance of 'Malicious' incidents—mostly trespassing and trouble-with-person calls—suggests merchants and residents are actively managing unwanted behaviors rather than letting situations escalate. Combined with administrative matters like warrant arrests, these categories reflect a community where most conflicts stay verbal and officers spend considerable time on preventive work.
Downtown's Lettered Streets saw multiple sitting-and-lying violations and trespass warnings yesterday, particularly along Holly and Cornwall. Meanwhile, retail corridors from Meridian to Lakeway dealt with afternoon shoplifting attempts, and Cordata experienced several interpersonal disputes. The narcotics arrests clustered in central areas, with Ellis Street seeing repeat activity.
Get these reports every morning, free forever
Timeline Analysis
Yesterday's activity built gradually through morning, peaked sharply at 11 AM, then maintained moderate levels through evening.
The 10-11 AM window saw nine incidents—nearly a quarter of the day's total—with sitting-and-lying violations on Holly Street coinciding with theft reports at Lakeway businesses. Activity remained elevated through the lunch hour before settling into a steadier afternoon pace. Evening hours from 5 PM onward stayed relatively quiet, with only scattered calls after 9 PM.
Intel Briefs
Midday Retail Vigilance
Yesterday's theft reports concentrated between 10 AM and 2 PM at Lakeway and Meridian businesses. Consider scheduling staff breaks to maintain floor coverage during these peak shoplifting hours.
Downtown Sitting Ordinance Active
Officers issued multiple sitting-and-lying violations on Holly Street yesterday morning. Downtown visitors should expect continued enforcement of sidewalk accessibility rules, particularly in the 100-block corridors.
Evening Commute Clear
Despite yesterday's 37 incidents, the 4-6 PM window saw minimal traffic enforcement. Your evening commute today should flow normally, though officers did conduct late-night traffic stops on Sunset Drive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's in the "Other" category?
The "Other" category includes 6 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.