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Virginia State Police Senior Trooper Christopher Turner said the best $1.05 he ever spent was to adopt Batman, his explosives K-9.

On Jan. 30, 2024, Batman officially retired and was adopted by Turner. Just over a year later, Batman died on Feb. 19, 2025, at 9.5 years old. He was Turner’s first K-9.

After graduating from K-9 explosives school together in 2016, Batman — or “B,” as Turner called him — and Turner worked together for over seven years, answering over 250 calls. They served area 47, which covers Suffolk, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth, but were called all across the state. 

Batman was trained to find firearms, casings, explosives, and explosive residue. He was called to officer-involved shootings, interstate shootings, and bomb threats. He also routinely performed security sweeps for the Secret Service, judge conferences, and college football games and graduations. Turner said they also performed several K-9 demonstrations at schools and civic organizations.

“It’s like no other job I’ve ever had,” Turner said. “[There’s] nothing like reaching back there in that little kennel through the holes in my little sliding door, and just grab Batman’s ears, making the day a whole lot better.”

Last Wednesday, Turner said he was checking on Batman to ensure he had enough bedding in his kennel as the temperature began dropping. But when Batman didn’t want to play in the snow, Turner said he knew something was wrong. 

Turner and his wife rushed Batman to the vet as fast as they could, but with the snow he said he was only able to go about 36 miles per hour. 

“It was the worst time to try and get him to the vet,” Turner said. “But we got him there and they took him right back.”

The vet told them Batman had internal bleeding caused by a tumor on his spleen. Because of the cost of surgery, and because it wasn’t guaranteed to save him, Turner decided to say goodbye to his best friend and partner.

Turner said Batman loved to work, and he worked hard, but he played harder. He loved to play with his ball and he loved the water. Every summer, he bought Batman a kiddie pool to play in, but one year, he couldn’t find one, so he made one out of a tarp and a trailer.

“He would jump in the back of my utility trailer, which was a makeshift pool for him, and just had a ball,” Turner said. “We always made sure he had a good life, even when he was working and when he was off.”

Working with K-9s is “very rewarding,” Turner said, and he’s decided not to accept promotions so he can continue working with them. He said he can’t count how many times people have told him the K-9 program was the best part of their career.

Turner said the most rewarding part about working with Batman was when he found a “piece of the puzzle” to help solve a crime. 

The day after Batman retired, Turner said his first sergeant at the time threw a retirement party for him. 

“A lot of people in the area stopped, took time out of their busy schedule to come in there for about 30 minutes and just acknowledge that he was a big asset and a big resource for the department,” Turner said. “So that was really touching.”

He reflected on times when the dispatchers would ask him to bring Batman in or when a student at a school demonstration would connect with Batman because they were wearing a Batman shirt.

When Batman retired last year, Turner started working with a new K-9, Viper. Turner will most likely also adopt Viper once he retires, but they don’t have the same bond as Turner and Batman did.

When Turner first got Viper, he said it was hard to work with another dog after working with Batman for seven years. He said it felt like he was “betraying” Batman. 

Turner said he will always remember Batman as an energetic partner who loved to work and play. All his times with Batman were his favorite, he said.

“We were saddened to hear of K9 Trooper BATMAN crossing that rainbow bridge suddenly,” reads a comment from VSP. “May he rest in peace. Thank you for your dedicated years of service as a trooper and a good boy! We feel well knowing you enjoyed your days of retirement with Senior Trooper Chris Turner and his family. Rest in peace Batman as we continue to stand watch.”