Interview With James A. Bailey, PhD

The General Section Historical Committee conducted the following interview with AAFS Retired Fellow James A. Bailey, PhD, a Forensic Firearms Analyst. Dr Bailey is a current Professor Emeritus at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

How did your discipline get started?
The science of firearms examination originated with a report by Dr. Albert Hall in 1900 concerning the basic problems of bullet identification. His article, titled "The Missile and the Weapon," appeared in the Buffalo Medical Journal and laid the groundwork for what would become the science of firearms examination.

Tell me about how you became involved in your field.
I was always intrigued about forensic aspects of criminal investigation from an early age and had an interest in firearms and toolmarks.

Was this something you always knew you wanted to do, or did something happen in your life that made you realize what your career path should be?
This was something I wanted to do. I began my career as a crime scene investigator and worked in that capacity for approximately five years. Then, I entered the field of education and taught law enforcement and forensics for 30-plus years.

Was there a certification process within your discipline when you entered?
There was no certification process in the AAFS when I became a member of the General Section.

When did you become a member of AAFS?
Not sure about official membership. I began attending AAFS meetings in 1997 and attended every annual conference until 2020. Now, I am a retired fellow. After the COVID epidemic, I became active in another association. However, I plan to attend future AAFS meetings.

Was Forensic Firearms Analyst a discipline when you joined the AAFS?
No.

Was education/training a priority in the Academy at that time?
Education and training have always been a priority in the AAFS.

How did your education help you succeed in your field?
Graduate education helped me develop my research skills. Often, educated forensic scientists are skeptics by nature, and they use critical thinking for problem solving.

How did your education help you succeed in the AAFS?
Conducting lectures, research, and scientific writing.

How did you realize that Forensic Firearms Analysis/training and education should be a discipline/priority within AAFS?
They are attributes of any researcher who thoroughly constructs a thesis or examines a topic. I have always believed that firearms and toolmarks should be a specialty.

How did Forensic Firearms Analysis get off the ground?
One of the early cases involving firearms evidence in the early 20th century was the 1929 Saint Valentine's Day Massacre.

Were you faced with support/opposition? If opposition, how did you overcome that? (How did AAFS help?)
There are politics in all organizations, including the AAFS. If you have support for an issue, you win, if you don't, you lose. There are AAFS members with firearms expertise but not enough members to campaign for a firearms and toolmark section.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of your specialty developing into its own AAFS section?
I believe there should be a Firearms/Toolmarks Section in the AAFS, but that specialty is in the Criminalistics Section. There is no AAFS section for Firearms/Toolmarks due to fewer numbers in this area. Most firearm and toolmark examiners have membership with the Association of Firearms and Toolmarks Examiners (AFTE). I believe a new section in firearms and toolmarks would attract additional members to the AAFS. The "AFTE" rules only permit active firearms examiners to join their organization. Others who conduct research in the area of firearms and toolmarks do not quality for AFTE membership. The AAFS may gain more members if the association had a Firearms/Toolmarks Section.

How did your work on discipline-irrelevant AAFS committees affect your progress through the AAFS?
When some of my research was submitted for presentations at AAFS conferences, it was sent to other sections such as Engineering or Criminalistics. I served on some committees, served as a moderator for numerous annual conferences, attended business meetings, and did what was necessary in the General Section for promotion.

What are your thoughts on how to keep advancing the field? I think all forensic specialties advance as new materials and technology are introduced. Material science applies to most fields. Attending the annual conferences keeps researchers abreast of new developments. The field is evolving fast — technology, legal expectations, and scientific scrutiny are all shifting. A new section could help the discipline meet those challenges.

How has your specialty helped the AAFS?
Firearms and toolmark examiners contribute to the organization the same as other specialties by providing presentations on research studies and case studies. Knowledge about firearms and toolmark evidence is an area some other disciplines encounter in conducting forensic investigations.

How has the AAFS helped your specialty?
The AAFS has provided a forum to meet individuals with mutual interests and collaborate on research. Sharing knowledge advances the specialty.