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Hamilton County opioid prosecutor tackling drug crisis

Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp on Aug. 31 introduces Assistant District Attorney Jamie Pulido, the county's first chief opioid prosecutor, as county officials introduced a strategy for opioid abatement settlement funds from the state of Tennessee.
Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp on Aug. 31 introduces Assistant District Attorney Jamie Pulido, the county's first chief opioid prosecutor, as county officials introduced a strategy for opioid abatement settlement funds from the state of Tennessee. Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp on Aug. 31 introduces Assistant District Attorney Jamie Pulido, the county's first chief opioid prosecutor, as county officials introduced a strategy for opioid abatement settlement funds from the state of Tennessee.

A year ago, Jamie Pulido accepted a job with an impossible-sounding goal: use prosecution to tackle a public health crisis.

Pulido is Hamilton County’s first prosecutor dedicated primarily to opioid and overdose cases after being appointed in August 2023 by District Attorney Coty Wamp. He may be one of the only prosecutors of his kind in the nation, experts said.

Wamp said the position is part of a promise she made during her campaign to crack down on the opioid epidemic.

“This affects the community more than anything else,” she said in an interview. “I would consider this violent crime, but the violent crime that we normally think of — gun crimes — they don’t hold a candle to how many people across the county opioids affect every year.”

(READ MORE: Suspected drug-related deaths in Hamilton County behind last year’s pace)