Narcotics calls cluster as Tuesday runs quiet
Good morning, Bellingham!
Tuesday was quieter than usual for Bellingham, running about 16% below the typical Tuesday average. The most notable pattern: four narcotics-related incidents, including two overdose responses in the evening and an early-morning arrest in downtown's roughest alley.
At a Glance
Activity spread thin across the day with no real rush periods. The morning saw a small cluster between 9 and 10 AM, mostly routine reports. The afternoon picked up slightly with theft reports from Happy Valley, Downtown, and Bellis Fair, plus a sex crime report on Prince Ave in Meridian that will require follow-up investigation.
Two overdose incidents came in within four hours of each other, one on Meridian St at 5 PM and another near Safeway on E Sunset Dr at 9 PM. Both are in areas with known transient activity.
Category Breakdown
Malicious incidents are up 55% week-over-week, though today only added three to that count. The bigger story in the trends: assault reports have dropped by half compared to the prior week, and welfare checks are down 37%. Investigation leads today's categories with six incidents, mostly information reports and suspicious circumstance calls that didn't develop into anything more serious.
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Timeline Analysis
Intel Briefs
Malicious Mischief Trend Worth Watching
Malicious mischief reports are up 55% over the past week compared to the prior seven days, from 29 to 45 incidents. If this pace holds, expect continued property damage reports through midweek, particularly in areas with overnight foot traffic.
Theft Uptick May Continue Midweek
Theft reports are running 36% higher than the prior week, with 34 incidents over the last seven days. Retail areas along Meridian and downtown remain the likely hotspots as the week progresses.
Quiet Start, But Tuesdays Run High
Yesterday's 29 incidents came in 16% below the typical Tuesday average of 34.5. Tuesdays are historically the busiest day of the week over the past eight weeks, so today's activity may pick up from yesterday's slower pace.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's in the "Other" category?
The "Other" category includes 4 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.