Community Perceptions of Alternative Policing Strategies in Bellingham, Washington

This study examines community perceptions of public safety in Bellingham, Washington, through analysis of 137 city council public comments from 2023-2025 and corresponding police call data. Analysis reveals what issues receive the most public attention, visible street-level disorder, drug use, encampments, and theft. Comments reflecting growing exhaustion with implementation failures of harm reduction approaches prompting a return to ineffective traditional policing methods. Last, I propose policy recommendations emphasizing transparent performance metrics, strengthened service infrastructure before program expansion, coordinated facility responses, enhanced case management, and comprehensive officer training, arguing that procedural justice depends on systemic capacity to demonstrate tangible improvements in community safety and order.