Katayoun “Kat” Copeland has officially been sworn in as the Delaware County District Attorney, writes Erin McCarthy for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Copeland, 50, a Republican from Radnor, was appointed by the county Board of Judges over 19 other candidates to fill the term of John J. Whelan, who was elected a county judge. She plans to run for election when her term ends in 2019.

Copeland has 25 years of experience as a prosecutor. She first joined the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office in 1992 as an assistant district attorney in the trial division. In 2000, she became chief of drug enforcement. In 2004, she was promoted to deputy district attorney.

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In 2011, Copeland left for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted high-profile drug cases.

“It seems only fitting,” Copeland said, “that, after serving for 25 years as a prosecutor, ultimately going to the federal authorities, to come home.”

The daughter of an Iranian mother and American father, Copeland was born in Upper Darby but lived in Iran from 1973 to 1980. When she returned to the U.S., she attended the Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr College, and Temple’s law school.

Read more about Kat Copeland in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.