Is 9mm a really bad choice for personal defense?

The .38 Special was powerful enough for the police until 1935 when they had to have the capability to shoot through car doors to hit bad guys. They then went to the .357 Magnum. But of course police could hit their targets back then. The 9mm is about twice as powerful as the .38 Special so there should not be any problem with using a 9mm if you can hit your target and use real ammunition, however a miss with a .500 S&W is much more impressive than a miss with a 9mm.