"Back in the day" the .38 Special was known to street cops as "The Widow maker" due to the numerous failures to stop.
When the police unions started demanding better ammo, and trial lawyers started suing cities for dead cops families, the cities finally allowed use of the famed "FBI load" and the complaints about ineffective ammo stopped.
The load was known by a number of names relating to the cities or agencies that used it, but the street cops called it "The .38 SPLAT" supposedly for the sound it made when it hit.
While there are newer .38 Special loads, the FBI load is still one of the very best you can use in a .38, and a lot of people use it in their .357's for the lower muzzle blast and recoil.
In any case, a person with a revolver loaded with it is WELL armed.