A Police Woman in Forensic Science

Chen Haiying

Now the deputy chief of the forensic science institute under the criminal police branch of the Ganzhou Public Security Bureau, Chen Haiying has been honored with medals of merit five times. Her extraordinary feats have earned her such titles as "National Police Force Role Model""National Top 100 Criminal Police Officer", and "Best Police Officer Using Forensic Technology to Solve Criminal Cases Selected by the Ministry of Public Security".

A Novice Officer Employed

Chen Haiying was admitted to medical college, majoring in clinical medicine science, after her graduation from  high school.

During her childhood, she was scared so much by beating drums and clanging cymbals from the village funeral rituals that she couldn't sleep. Unexpectedly, this little girl became a forensic police officer when she grew up, with formalin and autopsies being the order of her day. Her years of education at medical college equipped her with a bold, tough heart.

She got her first job as a doctor at a hospital. During those days, a hit TV series named "Judge of the Song Dynasty" infused her with a deep admiration for the lead role, Song Ci. This renowned forensic scientist from the Song Dynasty could make dead bodies "speak up" and solve challenging mysterious cases from the vaguest of clues.

Chen's medical education laid a solid foundation for her career development, and the TV series contributed to her career choice. In 2002, she signed up online for the exam and targeted the forensic doctor post after she learned about the vacancy at the Ganzhou Public Security Bureau.

The requirements for candidates were relatively loose, with two posts offered regardless of gender.

As a result, Chen and another female candidate were recruited. The sudden recruitment of two women in August 2003 threw the criminal police branch chief in doubt: Could the women undertake this toilsome job that requires guts and meticulousness ?

One of them requested a transfer shortly afterwards. Another two women came and went. It is laborious, dull and stressful to do the technical work, so patience and persistence are indispensable. At that time, the forensic science institute had three labs: fingerprint identification, physicochemical testing, and forensic medicine. The rookie Chen Haiying learned fingerprint identification at the training class for about 100 days. From January 2004, she started to appear at crime scenes and observe autopsies.

Rubber gloves, surgical masks, and disposable caps and shoe covers are standard wear for forensic doctors at crime scenes. These items were quite familiar to Chen, but there was a difference – the corpses she had handled during her school days were treated with antiseptic, while the bodies she faced at crime scenes came in various conditions, with the causes of death unknown.

Without any dedicated room, they often performed autopsies in reposing rooms, with two forensic doctors working together, one as a surgeon and the other as an assistant, supported by a third person for recording.

During her apprenticeship, Chen would take notes and pass over surgical instruments while observing and listening attentively. "A 5 cm-long cut on the breast, extensive wounds on the abdomen," – she wrote down every detail about the autopsy process. Suddenly, she stopped writing when she caught sight of many maggots wriggling and crawling about on the floor. Noticing these white, disgusting worms almost climbing onto the surgeon's shoe, she cried out in astonishment, grabbing a water hose to wash them away. In the meantime, her nervous glance at her instructor would be met with the latter's calm and resolute one. Her instructor stayed concentrated on the work with the mood unaffected, but Chen blushed with shame.

"Chen is great. She is daring enough to face the corpse just a few days into the job," says Xie Yiwen, chief of the criminal police branch, with his thumb up.

Despite this praise, Chen suffers from social anxiety. "What if I could not answer the lecturer's questions? What if I said the wrong thing when analyzing the case?" she wondered. However, she converted these anxieties into motivation. She digested many professional books, bite by bite, such as "Systematic Anatomy""Histopathology", and "Forensic Medicine". She wanted to be as knowledgeable as her instructors and become a female Song Ci as soon as possible.

On the rainy day of May 21, 2005, Chen conducted her first independent autopsy, still in a reposing room. A young man recorded it while a trace evidence examiner took photographs. She and her instructor were responsible for one corpse respectively. She finished her first independent autopsy in two hours and then sewed up the incisions.

It was close to midnight when she completed the work. Chen straightened herself up to relax, only to find her left alone there in the reposing room. Creep was the sight of the two bodies in the dull lights. She dropped her surgical scissors and rushed out of the room. Her desperate escape startled her teammates, who had come out simply for fresh air.