I'm pretty sure sfbadger is familiar with firearms and their potencies, FYI.
I think it also true that "back in the day", LEOs carried .38 Specials or even .32 caliber pistols. I was alive when the SP went to the .357 as they needed better penetration capability. Then they went to 9 mm semi-auto, which is an upgrade in magazine size. Some/many have gone to 10 mm. So, I think the standard firepower of the police side arm has gone up over time.
And obviously rate of fire of common guns has gone WAY up since 1787.
The big shift more recently has been from revolvers to mag fed semiauto handguns. You go from 5 or 6 rounds on hand to 15 or 17 or more, and a pretty quick recharge.
The same shift happened when we went from the 1903 Springfield rifle to the M1 Garand, more rate of fire and more magazine capacity.