The Suffolk sheriff is calling for the county's top prosecutor to resign, saying District Attorney Thomas Spota has eroded the public's confidence in his office.

In an op-ed running Tuesday in Newsday and posted online Monday, Sheriff Vincent DeMarco says Spota has tried to conceal information to protect his friends. He cited Spota's "nurturance" of former Police Chief James Burke, despite the ex-chief's "well-known" rogue behavior. As News 12 has reported, Burke pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal charges.

DeMarco said that Spota's office now has a reputation as a "nest of political corruption." The sheriff called on other county lawmakers to echo his call for Spota's resignation.

A statement from the district attorney in response reads in part, "While the sheriff clearly has strong personal disagreements with me, his attack on the integrity of the employees of this office is shameful. His allegations of political corruption are despicable lies."