I have felt as safe in Bogota as I have felt living in Washington, DC, New York City, London, and just about any large city in the US or elsewhere. But, as in any large city and in some small towns, you have to be smart and aware in order to protect yourself.
There are a few scams that Colombian criminals might pull on gringos, and one that happened to me twice my first month in Bogota was this:
Someone picks you out because you don’t look Colombian, and you’re alone on a street corner. He will be well-dressed, probably. He’ll come up and begin casual conversation–to confirm that your Spanish is not native (and hopefully not so good, either). Then he’ll make you feel comortable by speaking in English, asking you how you like it here, and after a few minutes, show you an official looking ID of some sort–possibly police, army, government tourist office, whatever. He’ll say that you should really, to be safe, come with him to his nearby office and register.
You can figure out the rest. This happened to me twice when I first arrived, and my Spanish wasn’t so good at the time. I’m not sure it it’s just a Bogota scam or happens in other cities too. I do know that it only happens to people who look obviously gringo. Once I just walked away, and once I asked him to go with me to a policeman in uniform who was on the other side of the traffic circle. Too bad, he didn’t have time.
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