@runasand The problem is, a PIN wouldn’t be any better, as the officer could have coerced him to enter it. Or he could simply smash the phone in hopes that the video had not yet been synced to iCloud, or that the device wasn’t set to sync to iCloud… both potentially reasonable expectations.

There’s no security that can entirely protect against this kind of situation. In contrast, though, using Face ID or Touch ID absolutely does protect against someone shoulder-surfing your PIN, then stealing your phone, unlocking it, and getting your phone plus capturing your Apple ID a bonus.