Who Is Connie Shi’s Detective Violet Yee on Law & Order?
Law & Order's Detective Violet Yee joined the squad in 2022 and has proved to be a valuable asset with her unparalleled digital skills.
With Detective Jalen Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) tied up in court on the latest episode of Law & Order, another detective stepped in to help solve the murder of a senator’s son
Detective Violet Yee, played by Connie Shi, has been a frequent fixture in the 27th Precinct since she made her debut in Season 22 — but she's most often seen behind a computer screen putting her high-tech skills to use.
In “Crossing Lines,” the Season 24 episode that debuted on March 13, 2024, Yee played a more prominent role in helping get closer to finding the killer, joining Det. Vincent Riley (Reid Scott) out in the field as they tracked down a potential suspect. The encounter didn’t go as smoothly as planned, and after the suspect took off running, the investigators were forced to chase her down.
"Ya girl’s in the field this week," Shi captioned a photo she posted to Instagram Thursday of Detectives Yee and Riley.
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Yee proved during the intense chase scene that she has what it takes to succeed not only behind a desk at the precinct, but out tracking suspects.
To learn more about the detective and the actress who portrays her, read on.
Who is Detective Violet Yee on Law & Order?
Yee first appeared in the Law & Order universe in 2022, and Shi has played the computer savvy detective across all three current series in the franchise: Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
“Tonight!! Say hello to Detective Violet Yee,” Shi wrote on Instagram when the character made her debut in September of 2022. “I’m very honored to be part of such an iconic show as it continues to evolve with the world around it.”
Yee can most often be found on the flagship series Law & Order, where she’s an integral part of the 27th Precinct. As part of the investigative team, Yee often puts her IT skills to use, tracking down surveillance footage, running potential suspects through facial recognition programs, or digging her way through internet records to find the clue that can help break the case.
The detective is described in the “Crossing Lines” script as a 20-something with “post-modern urban edge.”
While it’s clear that Yee is a digital force to be reckoned with, she demonstrated in the "Crossing Lines" episode that her skills don’t end there. She’s also quick on her feet and didn’t hesitate to draw her gun and chase down an exotic dancer who was a potential suspect and took off down the street after spotting detectives Yee and Riley.
Once back at the precinct, Yee then worked to confirm the dancer’s alibi through surveillance footage, helped the team use facial recognition, and coordinated with the computer crimes division to find the real killer — all part of a day’s work for the detective.
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Just like her Law & Order character, Shi is also well-rounded when it comes to her talents.
Who is Connie Shi?
Shi is described in a bio on her official web page as "a queer, mixed Chinese-American actor, filmmaker, and songwriter from Bucks County" in Pennsylvania. Her passion, according to her web page, is 'female-led stories that explore vulnerability, identity, and shame."
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What else has Connie Shi been in?
Besides her role as Detective Violet Yee on Law & Order, Shi also had a three-episode arc as Melanie Bizne$$ on the sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She's also appeared in shows like Ghosts, And Just Like That..., NCIS: New Orleans, Betty, and FBI.
As a filmmaker, Shi has produced The Looming Cloud; wrote, produced, and starred in Coming; and co-created and co-starred in New New.
Shi is also a musician with an EP titled Our World. And her song “Broken” won Best Original Music at the 2018 PCTF Awards, according to her official bio.
To find out what Detective Yee will be up to next, watch Law & Order on Thursdays at 8/7c p.m. on NBC or stream the episodes when they become available on Peacock.
