Find in Panama

While traveling or living in Panama it is wise to be aware of the basics of crime and security since they are drastically different than those in Westernized countries.  The city itself is much safer than most US cities because violent crimes and security levels are much higher in Panama as a natural evolution from the old days of United States occupation.  Petty theft however is much more likely to occur since the poor in Panama are very poor and while they are not violent, they are hungry and desperately just trying to survive.
If you are planning to live in Panama you should not have to worry about breaking many laws accidently since law is not strongly enforced here since violent crimes are so uncommon.
However, there is one element of the law that you never want to get involved with, drug law.  The Panama law authorities take drug violations very seriously so if you are a casual or even occasional recreational drug user this is not the country for you.  Most of law enforcement agents are concentrated on prosecuting those who traffic or use drugs.  If you are caught using, possessing, or trafficking drugs there will be severe consequences with no option for plea bargaining as in the United States.  You will either spend a significant amount of time in jail and/or face a massive fine and exportation.  Drugs are not something you want to be the slightest bit involved with if you plan to build a life in Panama.
As mentioned earlier, security levels are very high in Panama, higher than they really need to be given the low occurrence of non-drug related crime.  This is because when the United States was occupying Panama all Americans were required to have bars on their windows and doors and many of the buildings still have them.  It may look threatening and make Panama look like a threatening city, but it really is not.  In fact, some of the buildings that non-Panama residents tend to live in have higher security measures than the highest level of living residents in New York City which has a much, much higher crime rate.  So if you take the usual precautions as you would in any city, keep your valuables in a safe, travel with a partner after night, and be aware of your surroundings, you will be perfectly safe.
A prime reason why Panama police can be so concentrated on drug investigations is the low crime rate and because there are a few other laws here that are not highly enforced.  For example, prostitution is legal and voluntarily keeps itself off the street.  It is very unheard of to be approached by a prostitute unless you know where to look because the value system is so high.  Teenagers are not dressed in rags nor have tattoos and colored hair.  The natives enjoy quiet living and respectable appearances.    Often times they enforce the law involuntarily by taking care of scammers and thieves by isolating them from society.
One final thought on Panama law that is sure to shock new visitors for a period time is the driving patterns of the natives.  Although there are traffic laws, almost nobody follows them as traffic looks like a disaster waiting to happen.  People drive at the speeds they choose turning in and out of traffic on their own whims.  Tickets are occasionally handed out, but hardly anyone rarely follows the process as most people just give the officer the equivalent of US 10 dollars and continue on.  It takes some getting used to, but the accident rates are much lower, so although it seems erratic, mutual respect for each other seems to make it work.