NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said Thursday that he absolutely wants to rebut the terror the news media has created about crime.

As 1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria reported, Bratton dismissed reports claiming that the city is being invaded by the infamous old squeegee men, and overrun by sinister costumed characters in Times Square.

Bratton said at a news conference Thursday that New York City is still the safest large city in the United States, and he said overall crime is down the first eight months of this year by almost 4 percent.