Daily Report

13 arrests, repeat offenders, and a busy Sunday across Meridian

Monday, February 23, 20265 min read

Good morning, Bellingham!

Sunday brought 13 arrests, the highest single-day total in three weeks. The Bellis Fair area was the center of gravity: three shoplifting arrests at the Winco / Home Depot center, including a 45-year-old with eight prior arrests in the last 14 months who was picked up for burglary at 2:49 AM.

At a Glance

Bellingham police activity heatmap showing 33 incidents on February 23, 2026

Activity clustered in the afternoon and early evening. After a quiet morning with just a handful of incidents, activity picked up around 1 PM and stayed steady through 8 PM. Meridian dominated for the fourth straight day, accounting for nearly a third of all incidents.

The Home Depot / Winco plaza saw three separate incidents, all theft-related, between 2:49 AM and 4:47 PM. The retail area of Bellis Fair and Meridian continues to generate a disproportionate share of activity.

Category Breakdown

Malicious
11
Theft
6
Welfare
5
Vehicular
4
3
Assault
2
Investigation
2

Malicious incidents led the day with 10 incidents, mostly trouble-with-a-person reports and domestic disputes. Theft was close behind with 7, driven by the shoplifting cluster near Winco.

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Timeline Analysis

530
12am
3am
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
9pm
Night
Morning
Afternoon
Peak

Intel Briefs

Theft Trend May Continue Into New Week

Theft incidents are up 26% over the past week compared to the prior seven days. With Meridian leading activity for four straight days, the Walmart area and Bellis Fair retail zone are worth watching as the new week begins.

Violent Incidents Spiked, Watch Early Week

Yesterday saw the highest violent incident count in 26 days. While single-day spikes don't always repeat, Tuesdays have been the busiest day of the week on average. If the pattern holds, tomorrow could see elevated activity.

Meridian Retail Stays Hot Spot

The Meridian / Bellis Fair area has led activity for four consecutive days now. The 4400 block around Walmart and the the mall / Home Depot plazas typically drive the volume, so expect continued trespass, theft, and disturbance incidents.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's in the "Other" category?

The "Other" category includes 3 incidents that don't fit into our main categories. Here's the breakdown:

WARRANT ARREST2
PROPERTY - FOUND/RECOVERED1
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.