I think Saakashvili's reform efforts worked, as people living there told me there's been a complete turn-around with regard to safety and the police - both in a very positive way. In fact, you can search online and see that Georgia is now ranked as one of the "safest" countries to visit. http://www.georgianjournal.ge/society/32791-georgia-is-3rd-among-118-safest-countries-of-the-world.html. I never felt threatened there at all, even when walking alone.

In Tbilisi, I walked around the city on most evenings with a reader I've been communicating with for a long time. But for the long road journey, I traveled with a Georgian man puerrtto referred me to. Very nice guy, good English, and has traveled through Georgia multiple times, carrying foreign tourists. Thus, he knows all the nuances of driving there, remote corners to take me...it was a really great adventure. :)