Would the Cannibal Cop still be in jail if he had any other job?

Probably. The NYC courts are overwhelmingly kind to police officers. Regardless, police officers hold a particular sort of power in society. They are therefore held to a higher standard, and a violation on their part is more serious than that of an ordinary citizen as far as the law is concerned. So even if his job has something to do with it, there’s nothing inappropriate about that.

It blows my mind that with so much evidence against him, the judge still let him walk free, even after a jury found him guilty. Charles Manson had less evidence against him but he’s still serving a life sentence for conspiracy to commit murder.

I agree completely. The trend should be the opposite of what it is: the courts should be tougher on cops, and they should treat violations committed by police officers more seriously than they treat those committed by people in whom we aren’t investing so much trust. But instead, their authority gets them a pass. Completely inappropriate.