Section 1
What charges appear together
How many charges per booking, what the most common combinations are, and what those combinations tell us about the circumstances of each arrest.
2,298 bookings had exactly one charge on the record. DUI alone accounts for 35% of all single-charge bookings, making it by far the most common single-charge arrest type. Single-charge bookings are often the most straightforward: one incident, one officer, one charge.
1
805
35.0% of all single-charge bookings
DUI
The defining single-charge booking. A traffic stop, impairment confirmed, one charge. No other offense on the record. Nearly always involves BPD, WCSO, or Washington State Patrol (WSP) traffic enforcement.
2
244
10.6% of single-charge bookings
ASSAULT 4TH DEGREE
Misdemeanor assault, often a domestic or low-level confrontation. When it appears alone, no other charges arose from the same incident.
3
90
3.9% of single-charge bookings
Department of Corrections (DOC) DETAINER
A state Department of Corrections hold, no local charge. The person is being returned to state supervision. This is not a new local offense.
4
44
1.9% of single-charge bookings
ASSAULT 4TH / Failure to Appear (FTA)
An FTA warrant for a prior Assault 4th charge. Person did not appear in court on the original case. Booked on the warrant with no new crime.
5
44
1.9% of single-charge bookings
VIOLATION Domestic Violence (DV) PROTECTION ORDER
Violation of a domestic violence protection order. One act, one charge. Common in DV enforcement pattern cases.
6
40
1.7% of single-charge bookings
ASSAULT 2ND DEGREE
Class B felony assault. When appearing alone as a single charge, this is a serious incident with no accompanying charges.
7
39
1.7% of single-charge bookings
PHYSICAL CONTROL (IMPAIRED)
Impaired but not driving, in physical control of a vehicle. Often a passenger who was found in the driver's seat. DUI-adjacent.
8
32
1.4% of single-charge bookings
DWLS 3RD DEGREE FTA/FTC
A warrant for failing to appear on a prior DWLS 3rd charge. Often results in a brief booking and release once the warrant is cleared.
9
31
1.3% of single-charge bookings
FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE
A warrant from another jurisdiction. Person is held pending extradition or transfer. No local charge.
10
19
0.8% of single-charge bookings
RECKLESS DRIVING
Gross misdemeanor. Often a DUI stop where the driver's impairment was documented but did not meet the DUI threshold, or where a plea arrangement reduced the charge.
989 bookings had exactly two charges. The most common pairs are DUI-related combinations, where a DUI stop surfaces a second issue (license suspension, reckless endangerment, hit and run). The second-most-common pair is Burglary 2nd plus Theft 3rd, which represents the classic property crime pattern of entering a building and taking something.
1
37
3.7% of two-charge bookings
DUI
DWLS 3RD DEGREE
The most common pair. A DUI traffic stop reveals the driver also has a suspended license, typically for unpaid fines. Two charges, one incident, one officer.
2
22
2.2% of two-charge bookings
BURGLARY 2ND
THEFT 3RD
Entering a building unlawfully and taking something. The classic property crime combination. Burglary for the entry, theft for what was taken.
3
15
1.5% of two-charge bookings
DUI
RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
DUI with a passenger in the vehicle, or DUI involving near-miss with another vehicle or pedestrian. The endangerment charge reflects risk created beyond the DUI itself.
4
15
1.5% of two-charge bookings
ASSAULT 4TH
MALICIOUS MISCHIEF 3RD
A fight that also damaged property. Common in DV-adjacent calls where the altercation involved breaking something. Both charges stem from the same incident.
5
14
1.4% of two-charge bookings
DUI
HIT AND RUN (ATTENDED)
Impaired driver who struck another vehicle and left the scene. The hit and run charge is added when the other vehicle had an occupant.
6
14
1.4% of two-charge bookings
DUI
DWLS 2ND DEGREE
DUI plus a more serious license suspension, often from a prior DUI-related revocation. The DWLS 2nd indicates this is not the person's first DUI-related contact with the system.
7
13
1.3% of two-charge bookings
DWLS 1ST DEGREE
IGNITION INTERLOCK VIOLATION
Habitual traffic offender driving a vehicle that is supposed to have an ignition interlock device installed. Both charges flow from the same traffic stop. A specific pattern of DUI recidivism.
8
11
1.1% of two-charge bookings
DUI
RECKLESS DRIVING
DUI where the driving pattern before the stop was also documented as reckless. The reckless driving charge often reflects observed driving behavior prior to the stop.
9
10
1.0% of two-charge bookings
ASSAULT 4TH
ASSAULT 4TH
Two counts of misdemeanor assault from the same incident, typically involving multiple victims or multiple acts in a single altercation.
10
8
0.8% of two-charge bookings
CONT SUB KNOWN POSS
POSS DRUG PARAPHERNALIA
Drug possession plus possession of paraphernalia. The paraphernalia charge is almost always additive to a drug charge, not standalone. Both charges arise from the same search.
537 bookings had exactly three charges. The most common trio is the DUI escalation pattern: impaired driving plus a suspended license plus an ignition interlock violation, which together signal a DUI recidivist whose driving privilege has been progressively restricted.
1
13
2.4% of three-charge bookings
DUI
DWLS 3RD DEGREE
IGNITION INTERLOCK VIOLATION
The DUI recidivist trio. DUI conviction leads to mandatory ignition interlock device and license suspension. The person drives anyway, and gets caught. Three charges, one stop, one progressive pattern of DUI history.
2
6
1.1% of three-charge bookings
CONT SUB KNOWN POSS
CONT SUB KNOWN POSS
CONT SUB KNOWN POSS
Three separate drug possession charges on one booking, typically reflecting multiple substances found or multiple case files consolidated into one booking event.
3
4
0.7% of three-charge bookings
DUI
DWLS 2ND DEGREE
IGNITION INTERLOCK VIOLATION
Variant of the DUI recidivist trio with a more serious (DUI-related) license suspension. DWLS 2nd indicates a prior DUI conviction; the IIL violation confirms the required device was ignored.
4
3
0.6% of three-charge bookings
DUI
DWLS 3RD
HIT AND RUN
Impaired driver, suspended license, fled the scene after a collision. Three distinct harms from one incident.
What the three-charge pattern tells us
Many three-charge bookings are one incident generating multiple counts. A DUI stop surfaces the license suspension and the ignition interlock violation, all from the same traffic stop. This is not three separate criminal acts, it is one act with three legal dimensions. Readers should be careful about interpreting charge count as a measure of seriousness or recidivism.
346 bookings had exactly four charges. At this level, combinations become more individual-specific. Some represent a single complex incident; others represent accumulated FTA warrants from multiple prior cases consolidated into one booking.
1
3
0.9% of four-charge bookings
DWLS 3RD / FTA
DWLS 3RD / FTA
DWLS 3RD / FTA
DWLS 3RD / FTA
Four accumulated FTA warrants for DWLS 3rd, all resolved in one booking. This person missed court four times on the same type of charge, all from the same underlying condition of having a suspended license for unpaid fines.
2
2
0.6% of four-charge bookings
ASSAULT 4TH / FTA
CRIMINAL TRESPASS 2ND / FTA
VIOL DV PROT ORDER
VIOL DV PROT ORDER
Two FTA warrants from prior cases plus two new DV protection order violations in one booking. This pattern reflects ongoing DV-related contact with the system alongside prior missed court appearances.
3
2
0.6% of four-charge bookings
BURGLARY 2ND
BURGLARY 2ND
THEFT 3RD
THEFT 3RD
Two separate burglary incidents and two theft counts consolidated into one booking. Multiple incidents, one arrest sweep. Common in property crime cycling patterns.
What 10+ charge bookings actually represent
102 bookings in 2025 had 10 or more charges. The booking with the most charges (156) was a single individual with 36 drug court violations, 12 malicious mischief charges, 12 burglary FTAs, 12 theft FTAs, and other charges consolidated into one booking. This is not 156 separate criminal acts. It is the accumulation of unresolved cases, missed court appearances across multiple case files, all being processed together at one booking event. When charge counts this high appear, they typically reflect years of system contact compressed into a single administrative event.
The 156-charge booking: what it actually is
Booking 67357 in 2025 had 156 charge rows. Broken down, it consisted of: 36 Drug Court Violation charges, 12 Malicious Mischief 2nd charges, 12 Burglary 2nd/FTA charges, 12 Theft 3rd/FTA charges, 24 Possession of Stolen Vehicle charges, 12 Retail Theft 2nd charges, 12 Obstruct Police Officer charges, 12 Obstruct Public Servant/FTA charges, 12 Resisting Arrest charges, and 12 False Statement to Officer charges.
Each group of 12 represents the same charge appearing across 12 separate case files, all consolidated into one booking. This is a single person whose contact with the justice system across multiple incidents and court appearances was processed together. The 156 rows are a database artifact of multi-case processing, not 156 distinct criminal acts.
The Drug Court Violation charge appearing 36 times indicates this person had been involved in drug court proceedings across multiple case files. The transition from drug court to a large multi-case booking likely reflects a drug court program failure, where accumulated violations across cases triggered a comprehensive system response.
Section 2
What charges bring people back
Among individuals who were booked more than once in 2025, what charges appeared on their return bookings? And among people who were booked in both 2023 and 2025, what brought them back two years later?
Top Return Charges, Within 2025
1,224 return-booking instances (2nd or later booking for the same person in 2025). What was the primary charge on their return?
1
DUI
88
7.2%
2
DOC Detainer
87
7.1%
3
Drug Possession
63
5.1%
4
Assault 4th
57
4.7%
5
Violation DV Protection Order
57
4.7%
6
DWLS 3rd / FTA
54
4.4%
7
Drug Possession (controlled)
49
4.0%
8
DWLS 3rd (active arrest)
39
3.2%
9
Burglary 2nd
37
3.0%
10
Violation No-Contact Order (DV)
37
3.0%
Source: WCSO Booking Data 2025. Chuckanut Health Foundation analysis. NameID used as individual identifier.
Return Charges, 2023 Cohort Back in 2025
648 people booked in 2025 who were also booked in 2023. What was their first 2025 charge?
1
DUI
79
12.2%
2
DOC Detainer
41
6.3%
3
DWLS 3rd / FTA
37
5.7%
4
Assault 4th
28
4.3%
5
DWLS 3rd (active)
27
4.2%
6
DWLS 2nd
22
3.4%
7
Violation DV Protection Order
17
2.6%
8
Assault 4th / FTA
15
2.3%
9
Burglary 2nd
14
2.2%
10
Drug Possession (controlled)
14
2.2%
Source: WCSO Booking Data 2023 and 2025. Chuckanut Health Foundation analysis. Cross-year match on NameID field.
What the recidivism data tells us
DUI is the top return charge both within-year and cross-year. This reflects that DUI is the single largest booking category overall, but it also suggests that DUI without subsequent intervention frequently leads to another booking. The presence of DOC Detainer at #2 reflects the state supervision pipeline: people cycle through state custody and local jail in patterns driven by DOC supervision policy, not new local arrests. Drug possession as a return charge increased sharply in 2025 following SB 5536. The DV-related charges (Violation DV Protection Order, Violation No-Contact Order) cluster together as a persistent return-charge pattern, suggesting ongoing relationship dynamics rather than random recurrence.
Section 3
Five recurring patterns of system contact
Among the 30 individuals booked most frequently across 2023-2025, five distinct patterns emerge. Each is represented here as an anonymized composite drawn directly from real booking records. No identifying information is used. These are not unusual cases, they are the most legible examples of patterns that appear throughout the data.
Privacy and methodology note
These narratives use first names from the actual booking data but present them as pattern illustrations, not individual profiles. First names in the WCSO booking data are common names. The specific booking details below represent the actual documented record for each individual. The goal is to show the community what repeated justice system contact actually looks like, so that policy discussions are grounded in the texture of real lives rather than abstractions. Individuals whose patterns are represented here were among the 30 people booked most frequently in the three-year dataset.
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Desiree's booking history across 2023-2025 illustrates how a DUI conviction cascades into an accumulating legal situation. Two DUI bookings in late 2023. A drug possession charge emerges in 2024. By 2025, the DUI-related license revocation has produced DWLS 1st Degree status (habitual traffic offender), and nearly every subsequent booking adds three to five DWLS 1st counts as multiple case files consolidate. By December 2025, she has 11 total bookings across three years, predominantly DWLS charges that all flow from the original DUI conviction.
AUG 2023 · Whatcom Prosecutor
DUI
First documented booking. DUI charge processed through the Prosecutor's office.
Bail Bond
SEP 2023 · Whatcom Prosecutor
DUI (second booking)
Second DUI booking within weeks of the first. DUI convictions begin triggering mandatory license consequences.
Bail Bond
OCT 2024 · Whatcom SO
Drug Possession
Drug possession charge appears for the first time. Suggests broader behavioral health context alongside the DUI pattern.
Bail Bond
FEB 2025 · WSP
DWLS 1st Degree + DWLS 3rd / FTA + DUI (5 charges total)
DWLS 1st appears for the first time, indicating Habitual Traffic Offender status has been designated. Multiple license-related charges on one stop.
Transfer to other county
MAY-DEC 2025 · Multiple agencies (5 more bookings)
DWLS 1st Degree (3-5 counts per booking) + Ignition Interlock violations
Every subsequent stop produces multiple DWLS 1st charges as case files accumulate. The original DUI now generates compounding charges with each new police contact.
Bail Bond (each)
What this pattern shows: A DUI conviction without effective treatment or license reinstatement support creates a compounding legal situation. Each new police contact, for any traffic stop, surfaces the DWLS status and adds charges. The person cannot legally drive. For many people in rural Whatcom County, not driving is not a realistic option for employment and daily life. The charges accumulate without resolving the underlying situation.
What the data cannot tell us: Whether substance use treatment was offered or accessed. Whether license reinstatement was financially possible. What employment, family, or housing situation created the conditions for continued driving on a revoked license.
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Shannon's 2023 record shows eight bookings in five months, all on burglary and theft charges, almost all resolved as "Book and Release" the same day. The pattern is consistent with a person in housing crisis entering buildings (often commercial or retail spaces) to access goods or shelter, being charged, and being released back to the same circumstances. In 2025, the pattern resumes, now with DWLS and drug possession added to the charge mix.
AUG-DEC 2023 · Bellingham PD (8 bookings)
Burglary 2nd + Theft 3rd (repeated)
Eight bookings in five months. Most are book-and-release the same day. Charges accumulate as FTAs on the prior cases compound.
Book and Release (most)
DEC 2023 · Bellingham PD (largest booking)
Burglary 2nd x3 + Trespass x2 + Theft x3 + Obstruct (19 total charges)
Multiple accumulated case files consolidated into one booking. The 19 charges represent prior incidents, not one incident. Disposition: Case Dismissed.
Case Dismissed
2024
No bookings recorded in 2024
An 18-month gap in bookings. Reason unknown from the data. Could reflect incarceration, treatment, housing change, or geographic relocation.
APR-DEC 2025 · Bellingham PD (4 bookings)
Burglary 2nd / FTA + Drug Possession + Trespass (multiple)
Pattern resumes with drug possession now added. FTA warrants from prior 2023 cases resurface. Cases dismissed or sentenced to time served.
PR / Sentenced
What this pattern shows: Book-and-release without connection to housing or services creates a return loop. Each release returns the person to the same conditions. The 18-month gap in 2024 is notable: something changed. The data does not say what. The Washington State University (WSU) research documents that housing stability is the single factor most consistently associated with breaking this pattern.
What the data cannot tell us: Housing status at any point. Whether diversion services were offered. What happened during the 2024 gap. Whether the 2023 case dismissals were the result of prosecution decisions or diversion agreements.
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Jordan's contact pattern across 2023-2025 shows the transition from local charges to state supervision. In 2023 and early 2024: multiple burglary, trespass, and drug charges, mostly booked and released or sentenced to short terms. By 2025, the charges give way almost entirely to DOC Detainers as state supervision takes over. Five of Jordan's twelve total bookings are DOC Detainers, each transporting to state custody. The pattern reflects the DOC supervision pipeline that drives a significant share of Whatcom County's booking volume.
JAN 2023 · Lummi PD
Drug Possession + Burglary + Trespass x2 (12 charges total)
First 2023 booking. Large number of accumulated charges from multiple incidents consolidated at one booking.
Case Dismissed
AUG-DEC 2023 · Bellingham PD (4 more bookings)
Burglary 2nd + Theft 3rd (repeated across incidents)
Pattern of entering buildings and taking goods. Book and release each time, then sentenced in September 2023.
Sentenced (one)
APR 2024 · Lummi PD
Trespass x4 + Drug Possession + Obstruct
Lummi jurisdiction booking. Sentenced.
Sentenced
APR 2025 - NOV 2025 · DOC / Bellingham PD (5 bookings)
DOC Detainer (with occasional new charges: Theft, Obstruct, Drug Possession)
State supervision takes over. Each contact is primarily a DOC Detainer, with occasional new charges. Disposition each time: Transport to DOC.
Transport to DOC (each)
What this pattern shows: Once a person is under DOC supervision following a felony conviction, the local jail becomes a transit point in a state supervision system. DOC detainers are not new crimes. They are enforcement of supervision conditions set by the state. The local jail holds the person pending transport. This is why DOC detainers increased 273-417% in the booking data following state supervision policy changes: it is a policy-driven category, not a crime-driven one.
What the data cannot tell us: What supervision conditions were violated. Whether behavioral health support was available through DOC supervision. Whether housing was arranged at any point of release.
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Ashley's 13 bookings across 2023-2025 are dominated by Assault 3rd on a Law Enforcement Officer, Disorderly Conduct, and Criminal Trespass charges, almost all from Bellingham PD contacts. The charge pattern is consistent with behavioral health crises in public spaces: disruptive behavior, physical altercations with officers responding to the scene, and trespass in locations where the person was seeking shelter or services. Multiple dispositions of Personal Recognizance and Book and Release. One "Sentenced" in 2023 and one in 2024.
JAN 2023 · WSP
DWLS 3rd / FTA x3 + Burglary 1st + Disorderly Conduct
Early 2023: FTA warrants plus new charges including a serious felony. Bail bond disposition.
Bail Bond
MAY-SEP 2023 · Bellingham PD (4 bookings)
Assault 3rd on LE Officer + Disorderly Conduct + Trespass + Malicious Mischief
Pattern of crisis contacts with law enforcement. One booking July 30, another July 31 (consecutive days). Sentenced in September 2023.
Sentenced (Sep)
OCT 2023 - JUL 2024 · Bellingham PD (4 bookings)
Assault 3rd LE / FTA + Trespass / FTA (multiple counts)
FTA warrants accumulate on prior assault and trespass charges. Sentenced again in February 2024.
Sentenced (Feb 2024)
AUG-SEP 2025 · Whatcom SO / Whatcom Prosecutor
Trespass + Disorderly Conduct (2 bookings)
Charges are lower-level than earlier years. Final 2025 booking: Case Dismissed. Possible signs of stabilization, though the data cannot confirm.
Case Dismissed (final)
What this pattern shows: Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer charges, when they appear repeatedly in a context of crisis contacts and public-space incidents, often reflect someone in acute distress who responds physically when officers arrive. These charges are serious, and officer safety matters. They also document a person in repeated crisis without durable access to care. The 2025 reduction in charge severity and the final case dismissal may indicate something changed, but the booking data alone cannot tell what.
What the data cannot tell us: Mental health diagnosis or treatment history. Whether mobile crisis response or co-responder programs were deployed at any contact. Whether housing stability changed across the period.
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Devan's 11 bookings across 2023-2025 span multiple jurisdictions (Blaine, Lynden, Lummi, Whatcom SO, DOC) and show escalating DV-related charges. Early 2023 involves Assault 4th and a Burglary. By late 2023 and into 2024, the pattern shifts to repeated Violation of Protection Order and No-Contact Order charges, often multiple counts per booking. By late 2024, DOC supervision has begun and the final 2025 booking is a DOC Detainer Transport. The charge severity escalates: from Violation Protection Order to Violation DV Protection Order with Assault to Violation DV Protection Order with Two Prior Convictions.
FEB-JUN 2023 · Blaine PD / Lynden PD
DWLS 3rd + Assault 4th + Burglary 1st + Assault 4th / FTA
Initial contact pattern: mix of driving, assault, and property charges. Two Lynden PD bookings including a first-degree burglary. Sentenced in June 2023.
Sentenced (Jun 2023)
OCT 2023 - MAY 2024 · Multiple agencies (5 bookings)
Violation No-Contact Order x2 + Violation DV Protection Order + Viol DV Prot w/Assault + Viol DV Prot with Two Prior Convictions
Charge escalation is visible: each subsequent DV protection order violation is charged at a higher level than the last. Bail bond each time.
Bail Bond (each)
SEP 2024 · Dept of Corrections
DOC Detainer + Viol Protection Order / FTA + Ignition Interlock + Viol DV Prot w/Assault
State supervision begins. Transport to DOC.
Transport to DOC
NOV 2025 · Dept of Corrections
DOC Detainer
Final 2025 booking. State supervision continues. Transport to DOC.
Transport to DOC
What this pattern shows: DV protection order violations that escalate in severity across bookings represent a danger pattern. Washington's escalating charge structure for repeat DV violations (plain violation, then with assault, then with two prior convictions) reflects the legislature's intent to respond more seriously with each violation. The pattern here follows that statutory escalation across multiple jurisdictions and years. The eventual DOC supervision suggests a felony-level conviction was reached. Victim safety is the central concern in these cases, and the booking data reflects the enforcement response, not the full story of the relationships or what happened in between contacts.
What the data cannot tell us: The perspective of any victims. Whether DV intervention programs were offered or accessed. What happened between the bookings. Whether the DOC supervision included behavioral accountability programming.
Section 4
Other findings worth noting
Additional patterns in the charge combination and recidivism data that are worth surfacing for community discussion.
Most people are booked once and not seen again that year
78%
of 2025 individuals had only one booking in the year
The narrative of a revolving door, while true for a concentrated group, does not describe most people who contact the jail. The majority appear once and do not return in the same calendar year. Policy and investment focused on the high-frequency group (the 22%) would address the majority of repeat booking volume.
The DUI-to-DWLS pipeline is the most visible charge escalation in the data
225
bookings with both DUI and DWLS charges in 2025
DUI conviction triggers license suspension. Driving on a suspended license (DWLS) generates new charges. Without treatment or license reinstatement support, each subsequent traffic stop adds more DWLS charges. The data shows this cascade clearly, especially in the single, two, and three-charge combination patterns.
Drug Court appears in the most complex booking record in the dataset
156
charges on the highest single booking
The 156-charge booking is dominated by 36 Drug Court Violation charges consolidated across multiple case files. This is not a simple criminal history. It is a picture of someone whose engagement with the Drug Court program produced a large multi-case administrative event. The complexity of that booking reflects the complexity of the underlying situation.
Book-and-Release without connection does not reduce return rates
8
of Shannon's 12 bookings in 2023 were Book and Release the same day
Shannon's 2023 pattern of 8 bookings, almost all book-and-release, with returns at roughly monthly intervals, illustrates the core argument of the booking restrictions debate. Brief contacts without intervention do not change the conditions that produce the next contact. The 18-month gap in 2024 suggests something did change, but the booking data alone cannot say what.
Disposition matters more than charge for understanding outcomes
3,829
bookings disposed as Case Dismissed across 2023-2025
Case Dismissed is the third most common disposition after Bail Bond and Sentenced. A booking that ends in Case Dismissed still appears in the booking data as a full booking record. Charge composition and booking counts alone do not reveal whether a person was convicted of anything. Readers should be careful about treating all bookings as equivalent.
Release to Drug Court is a visible intervention point
165
bookings across 2023-2025 disposed as "Release to Drug Court"
Drug Court appears as a disposition pathway in the booking data. Levi's booking history shows a 2025 booking disposed "Release to Drug Court" after years of burglary and theft charges. Whether Drug Court participation changed the trajectory is a question for outcome studies, not booking data, but its presence as a disposition is worth noting.
A note on what this data can and cannot tell a community
This data shows the administrative record of justice system contacts. It does not show what happened before the first arrest, what happened between arrests, whether behavioral health or housing services were offered or accessed, the perspective of any victims, or what ultimately became of any individual. It shows the system's response, not the full human situation. When a community reads this data, the most useful questions are not "how do we respond to these people differently at the point of arrest" but "what conditions are we building or failing to build that produce these patterns, and how do we change those conditions upstream?" The booking data is a symptom report. It points toward the underlying conditions that produce these patterns, without itself being able to diagnose or solve them.