I wasn’t replying to the OP’s post in that response. I was replying to another person’s characterization of “the way Columbia is now,” (or something to that effect.)

The “safest city in the country” thing is pretty much a meaningless story. That said, crime records are public information, and much-scrutinized.

By nearly nearly every metric, Columbia is in 2023 a remarkably safe place for a city of 100k.

Sorry if I was confusing. And sorry for your friend’s experience in 2009.