“…and a day?” Cops are rarely sent to prison, but when they are, the sentence frequently includes one extra day. That’s because in many jurisdictions, prisoners are only eligible for good-time credit and earlier release if their original sentence exceeds a certain length (usually 12 or 24 months).
Thus, adding an extra day to the sentence is a kindness from the judge, and means this cop will be out in a few months.
He would have been just about as vulnerable without being convicted, that is to say not very much. Qualified Immunity is still a large hurdle to get over. Even if you could, almost all jurisdictions only allow suits against cops in their official capacity (paid by the city/county) and not in their individual capacity (paid directly by them).The conviction makes it more likely for a judge or jury to find the officer at fault if it ever makes it to civil trial, but there are still mountains in the way that make that unlikely.