US police are not going to use a literal wrench. They have tried to jail people until they reveal the passcode, but even that has been subject to constitutiona

US police are not going to use a literal wrench. They have tried to jail people until they reveal the passcode, but even that has been subject to constitutional challenges. Much simpler to be able to get access without permission. Also, in some cases the owner of the device has not been apprehended; perhaps they don’t even know the police have their phone, and the police would like to keep it that way. Or the owner could be dead, as in the San Bernardino case.