Highlights
- Paradise Valley Community College is entering its third year offering a cold case class, the only such program at a Valley college.
- Students review confidential Phoenix Police Department reports with names changed and portions redacted.
- Program director Bootsie Martinez says students gain hands-on exposure 5 to 10 years ahead of what they'd encounter on the job.
- Students interested in enrolling can visit the college's website or call 602-787-7000.
Paradise Valley Community College is entering its third year of a cold case course that gives students access to real investigative files from the Phoenix Police Department, the only program of its kind at a Valley college, according to program director Bootsie Martinez.
Martinez, who leads the college's Administration of Justice Studies and Forensic Science program, said the materials are handled carefully: names are changed, portions are redacted, and files stay inside the classroom. The course draws on instructors with law enforcement backgrounds, including adjunct instructor Sandor Rogoff, a retired Phoenix police officer who teaches students how to interview, think critically, and develop probable cause.
Rogoff said thorough documentation is a core lesson. "It's important to write a report that is comprehensible not just now, but 10 years from now, because you don't know where that case is going to go or who's going to pick it up," he said.
Student Ella Rusu said the course has shaped her professional direction. "This will definitely help me achieve my goals of becoming a lawyer," she said. Working through a Phoenix-based case gave the material added weight for Rusu, a Valley native.
Martinez framed the program's value in terms of career timeline. Even officers hired immediately after graduation would likely wait years before reaching a cold case unit, she said, the course compresses that exposure dramatically.
Students interested in the cold case course can visit Paradise Valley Community College's website or call 602-787-7000.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 14/08/2026 05:15
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 14/08/2026 05:15. Every claim traces to a source.
