A lot of the guys I know run TAILS (https://tails.boum.org/) on a USB stick. They say if the cops bust them, all they have to do is rip out the stick and they're safe since TAILS encrypts all your files.
Maybe they're running some sort of daemon that wipes RAM when the USB is pulled out, it's still possible to get the data if the OS hasn't shut down. I wonder if something like that exists. From the TAILS docs:
"Moreover, an attacker having physical access to the computer while Tails is running can recover data from RAM as well. To avoid that, learn the different methods to shutdown Tails rapidly." -- https://tails.boum.org/doc/advanced_topics/cold_boot_attacks...
Holy crap, it shuts down when you yank the USB drive out? That's a great idea and somehow seems extremely cyberpunk to me. I'll have to install TAILS just to try that.
Treadmills have dead man switches that you attach to your clothing, so that if you misstep and are pulled backwards the treadmill immediately stops. Perhaps TAILS drives should have similar lanyards attached in case you get tackled. A front-facing USB port would be perfect.
How accurate their statement is, I don't know.