[mbrookes]

Could they not simply have put it flight mode? I appreciate that may not be possible for all makes of phone, but this was an iPhone X.

[SamuelAdams]

Probably not, otherwise the police could be tampering with evidence. Obviously you and I know that airplane mode != changing device data, but courts and juries may not see it that way. Or they will say "You put it in Airplane mode, what else did you do?"