Faith Johnson began her tenure Monday as Dallas County district attorney by asking for prayers.

"Pray for wisdom, so I will do justice and that I will be fair," she requested after she was sworn in among a crowd of prosecutors, judges, her fellow churchgoers and elected officials.

Dressed for cool weather, well-wishers fanned themselves and wiped their brows in a packed room as Johnson promised to prove Republican Gov. Greg Abbott made the right choice a month ago when he appointed her district attorney.

"I don't want to take a bribe. I don't want to do anything bad," Johnson told the crowd at the Frank Crowley Courts Building. "I want to represent the people of Dallas County with integrity and justice and fairness."

Johnson, a Republican, is the first black female district attorney in Dallas County — a fact first noted at the ceremony by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. A standing ovation followed.

"Today, we mark a new day, a day that will mark the beginning of a new year and a new partnership," the mayor said. "Let's have a partnership that is honest, transparent and forthright for the citizens of Dallas County."

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Johnson was sworn in by Carolyn Wright, chief justice of the 5th Court of Appeals in Dallas, who has been a mentor, colleague and friend of Johnson's for 30 years.

Wright also swore in Mike Snipes, a former judge and federal prosecutor who served in the Army, as first assistant district attorney, as well as all prosecutors and investigators who will work under Johnson. A handful of prosecutors were fired just before Christmas.

Johnson was selected following a three-month search after the departure of former District Attorney Susan Hawk, who resigned in September to focus on her mental health. Hawk, a Republican, was elected over two-term Democrat Craig Watkins after some in his party questioned his decision-making and federal authorities launched an investigation into his office. But Hawk's tenure was overshadowed by personal struggles with depression that led to long absences, hospitalizations and erratic behavior.

After the ceremony, Johnson said she needed to work hard to restore faith in the district attorney's office. "People have developed a sense of distrust" in the last six or seven years, she said.

But she also noted that every district attorney who has come before her "has made some kind of contribution to Dallas County." Johnson specifically mentioned Hawk and the late legendary Democratic District Attorney Henry Wade, who served for four decades but sent several people to prison wrongfully.

Johnson's appointment expires at the end of 2018, when Hawk's term would have ended, and she plans to run for the office in 2018.

Bishop T.D. Jakes, Johnson's pastor at The Potter's House church in Dallas, led a prayer at the ceremony, which was attended by several elected officials, including Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis, Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson, Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Wiley, Dallas County commissioners John Wiley Price and Theresa Daniel, many judges, and mayors and city council members from several cities in Dallas County.

In an effort to reach out to the community about crime prevention and to be more accessible, Johnson wants to start satellite offices so residents do not always have to go to the courthouse. She said Monday that she will start by partnering with the city of Dallas, which already has community prosecutors. The head of the conviction integrity unit, a vacant position that examines possible wrongful convictions, also will directly report to Johnson.

She also promised transparency — a vow that other district attorneys made but did not deliver. Johnson said she will be different.

Johnson calls herself a "servant leader" who wants to work with residents to make the district attorney's office better. The focus has been inward, she said, but the office, its prosecutors and investigators also need to look outward to better serve the county's residents.

She said she wanted to shake everyone's hand and hear everyone's cries.

"We will be present, we will be prepared, we will be professional and we will be passionate about seeking justice for the people of Dallas County," Johnson said. "Be my partner."

1 / 2Bishop T.D. Jakes hugged Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson after she was sworn in Monday at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas. (Nathan Hunsinger/Staff Photographer) 2 / 2The Honorable Faith Johnson gives a fiery speech after the swearing-in ceremony as Dallas County District Attorney at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas on January 2, 2017. Mike Snipes (far left on the front row) will be first assistant district attorney. (Nathan Hunsinger/The Dallas Morning News)

Faith Johnson

Age: 66

Salary as DA: About $210,000 from the state and county

Education: Johnson graduated from Price High School in Atlanta in 1968. She earned a psychology degree from Georgia State University in 1972 and then a graduate degree in community counseling. She earned her law degree from Houston's Texas Southern University in 1980.

Professional: She was a Dallas County prosecutor from 1982 to 1989. She was the county's first black female chief felony prosecutor and helped start the child abuse unit. She was appointed to preside over the 363rd District Court, a felony court in Dallas County, and served for 17 years before she lost a re-election bid and went into private practice. She shut down her office in Irving, where she practiced for the last 10 years. She just resigned from the Department of Public Safety Commission and previously sat on the county's juvenile board. As a judge, she once threw a party in her courtroom to celebrate the capture of a man who'd fled during a trial. He'd previously been convicted of murder. She sentenced him to life in prison in his absence. Her celebration, complete with cake and balloons, earned her a public admonishment from the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct in 2005. She later apologized.

Personal: She is the youngest of 13 kids. She is also a secretary and board member of The Potter's House church. Her parents were married until her mother's death at 85 in 1989, two days after Johnson learned she had been appointed a state district judge. Her father died in 2007 at age 100. She was a delegate in 2000 for the national GOP convention.