Susan Coppedge, as a prosecutor with the US, is on the front-line in putting criminal laws to use and developing a practical awareness of problems that law enforcement agencies face in applying the law. She is active in developing cases in the human trafficking arena and involved in the Georgia Rescue and Restore Coalition, whose goal is to identify victims of human trafficking and get these victims the support and services they need to safely escape the traffickers.
During Coppedge's fellowship in New Zealand, she will be based at the Ministry of Justice and the New Zealand Police and will investigate whether recent New Zealand laws passed to curtail and punish human trafficking are being effectively implemented by those in local law enforcement. She will recommend policies that can be developed to assist law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting human trafficking, and formulate proposals that will enable service organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide victims of human trafficking with support services to safely end their slavery.