Estella Patterson, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s first female chief, was sworn in at a ceremony in southwest Charlotte Friday morning that at times felt like a presidential inauguration or college graduation.
Patterson sat on a stage in a building that holds the department’s police academy, and was joined by the city’s and state’s most powerful elected officials, including Mayor Vi Lyles, City Manager Marcus Jones, and Gov. Josh Stein.
During a speech, Patterson reiterated points she made when she was first introduced at a press conference in November, including embracing technology and boosting officer morale…