SONNER, Judge.
The appellant in this case complains that he received an unfair trial for two reasons: first, because the court, refused to give the jury his requested instruction about good character evidence and, second, because the court, after improper remarks in the assistant state’s attorney’s closing argument, failed to admonish the prosecutor in front of the jury. On the first issue, we hold that the court was correct in refusing to give the requested instruction. As for the second issue, we hold that the trial judge, after finding the prosecutor’s remarks improper, was justified in not taking further action.
Both appellant, Ricky Edward White, and the State agree that on June 2, 1996, sometime around six in the evening, Mr. White, while driving on Thrift Road, a rural road in the Clinton Piscataway area of Prince George’s County, swerved to avoid some deer and crashed his rented Cutlass Ciera into a ditch. The crash rendered the car inoperable. A passerby, Maryann Murphy, drove her pick-up truck to the spot of the accident and stopped and watched White get out of the car and inspect the damage. White then approached her and, in response to her question as to whether he needed help, asked her to call the police, and then walked away. Mrs. Murphy, apparently using a citizen band radio, called for her brother, James Murphy, a Prince George’s County police corporal stationed at the Clinton Substation. When Cpl. Murphy arrived, he ran a radio check on the license tags of the damaged car. to determine whether it was stolen. The reply came back that it was not. While he was waiting for the report, he entered the car and found a rental agreement with Ricky [689] White’s name on it. He then obtained a description of White from his sister and gave a radio lookout for a black male, wearing dark shorts and a white T-shirt. He apparently-intended to charge White with a motor vehicle offense in connection with the accident. After that, he called a crane and had the vehicle impounded.
The accounts of what happened after that diverge. Mr. White testified at trial that he walked down Thrift Road to Winbrook Drive and hitched a ride from a stranger to Livingston Square Mall. He testified that he went into the mall and unsuccessfully attempted to call his parents, and then went outside, where he was hit on the head by some unknown person or persons and placed in a dumpster. It was not contested that a security guard found him there and called the police, who arrived with some paramedics and helped him out of the dumpster. He told the paramedics that he was dizzy and hurt and so they gave him first aid. Because the officers who responded with the paramedics knew of the earlier lookout that Cpl. Murphy had placed over the radio, they made a request through the police dispatcher for him to go to the Livingston Square Mall. Corporal Murphy did so, but, first, stopped by his sister’s home to transport her to where the other police officers, the security guard, and the paramedics were waiting with White. After his sister identified White as the person who had spoken to her at the scene of the accident on Thrift Road, Cpl. Murphy handcuffed White and placed him under arrest for leaving the scene of the automobile accident. He first took White to Fort Washington Ambulatory Hospital for emergency treatment and, then, to a police station to institute formal charges. White was released almost immediately after that, but then turned himself in several days later, after learning that a detective had gone to his parents’ home in search of him. The detective was looking for White as a suspect in a carjacking that occurred approximately a mile from where White had abandoned his car.
The prosecution alleged that White did not hitch a ride and go directly to the Livingston Square Mail, but, instead, walked to a neighborhood not far from where he had the accident and [690] approximately one block from the road where White claimed he obtained a ride from a stranger. The State produced evidence to show that a man matching White’s description and dressed in a white T-shirt and dark shorts walked to where Ms. Desmona Conner was standing beside her ear with the door open. She had gone there to pick up her daughter and was waiting for her to come out to her car. Ms. Conner testified that the man, whom she later identified as White, just walked up, pushed her out of the way, sat down behind the steering wheel, and then drove away in her car. Ms. Conner’s friend, Celeste Camphor, had been seated in the front passenger seat and, as the stranger was driving away, tried to put the gearshift located between the seats into reverse to stop the car. When she failed at that, she jumped out of the moving vehicle. Later, the car was located and retrieved off Indian Head Highway, close to the Livingston Square Mall. Both Ms. Camphor and Ms. Conner picked out White’s picture from a photo array and identified him in the courtroom at trial. The description that they gave the police on the night of the carjacking closely matched White’s appearance, and he was dressed in a white T-shirt and blue shorts when the security officers found him in the dumpster, the exact same clothing that Ms. Conner and Ms. Camphor, as well as Mrs. Murphy described White as wearing. The prosecution argued that White’s being in the Livingston Square Mall dumpster was an attempt to hide and that the injuries that he incurred and the paramedics treated him for came from the Thrift Road accident, not from any attack. The Grand Jury for Prince George’s County had charged White with robbery, kidnapping, battery, and carjacking. After the jury trial, White was acquitted of kidnapping, but was found guilty of the other charges.
I.
White’s first allegation of error is that the court failed to give his requested jury instruction regarding character evidence. It is fundamental that the court instruct the jury as to all the applicable law if either party requests the court to do [691] so. Md. Rule 4-325(c). To be entitled to any instruction, however, there must be at least some evidence to generate a need to address the issue. Dykes v. State, 319 Md. 206, 221, 571 A.2d 1251 (1990); Flores v. State, 120 Md.App. 171, 192-93, 706 A.2d 628 (1998); McKay v. State, 90 Md.App. 204, 214, 600 A.2d 904 (1992). The critical question here is whether White produced any evidence to generate the issue as to character.
The usual manner for a defendant to raise character as an issue is to call at least one witness who is familiar with particular traits, either because of knowledge of the defendant’s reputation or from personal observation. Maryland Rule 5-405 provides that a witness can testify as to reputation, relate specific instances of a person’s conduct, or simply give an opinion about a specific character trait. The Maryland General Assembly, many years ago, modified the common law, which restricted character evidence to testimony about reputation in the community. Section 9-115 of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article provides:
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SONNER, Judge.
The appellant in this case complains that he received an unfair trial for two reasons: first, because the court, refused to give the jury his requested instruction about good character evidence and, second, because the court, after improper remarks in the assistant state’s attorney’s closing argument, failed to admonish the prosecutor in front of the jury. On the first issue, we hold that the court was correct in refusing to give the requested instruction. As for the second issue, we hold that the trial judge, after finding the prosecutor’s remarks improper, was justified in not taking further action.
Both appellant, Ricky Edward White, and the State agree that on June 2, 1996, sometime around six in the evening, Mr. White, while driving on Thrift Road, a rural road in the Clinton Piscataway area of Prince George’s County, swerved to avoid some deer and crashed his rented Cutlass Ciera into a ditch. The crash rendered the car inoperable. A passerby, Maryann Murphy, drove her pick-up truck to the spot of the accident and stopped and watched White get out of the car and inspect the damage. White then approached her and, in response to her question as to whether he needed help, asked her to call the police, and then walked away. Mrs. Murphy, apparently using a citizen band radio, called for her brother, James Murphy, a Prince George’s County police corporal stationed at the Clinton Substation. When Cpl. Murphy arrived, he ran a radio check on the license tags of the damaged car. to determine whether it was stolen. The reply came back that it was not. While he was waiting for the report, he entered the car and found a rental agreement with Ricky [689] White’s name on it. He then obtained a description of White from his sister and gave a radio lookout for a black male, wearing dark shorts and a white T-shirt. He apparently-intended to charge White with a motor vehicle offense in connection with the accident. After that, he called a crane and had the vehicle impounded.
The accounts of what happened after that diverge. Mr. White testified at trial that he walked down Thrift Road to Winbrook Drive and hitched a ride from a stranger to Livingston Square Mall. He testified that he went into the mall and unsuccessfully attempted to call his parents, and then went outside, where he was hit on the head by some unknown person or persons and placed in a dumpster. It was not contested that a security guard found him there and called the police, who arrived with some paramedics and helped him out of the dumpster. He told the paramedics that he was dizzy and hurt and so they gave him first aid. Because the officers who responded with the paramedics knew of the earlier lookout that Cpl. Murphy had placed over the radio, they made a request through the police dispatcher for him to go to the Livingston Square Mall. Corporal Murphy did so, but, first, stopped by his sister’s home to transport her to where the other police officers, the security guard, and the paramedics were waiting with White. After his sister identified White as the person who had spoken to her at the scene of the accident on Thrift Road, Cpl. Murphy handcuffed White and placed him under arrest for leaving the scene of the automobile accident. He first took White to Fort Washington Ambulatory Hospital for emergency treatment and, then, to a police station to institute formal charges. White was released almost immediately after that, but then turned himself in several days later, after learning that a detective had gone to his parents’ home in search of him. The detective was looking for White as a suspect in a carjacking that occurred approximately a mile from where White had abandoned his car.
The prosecution alleged that White did not hitch a ride and go directly to the Livingston Square Mail, but, instead, walked to a neighborhood not far from where he had the accident and [690] approximately one block from the road where White claimed he obtained a ride from a stranger. The State produced evidence to show that a man matching White’s description and dressed in a white T-shirt and dark shorts walked to where Ms. Desmona Conner was standing beside her ear with the door open. She had gone there to pick up her daughter and was waiting for her to come out to her car. Ms. Conner testified that the man, whom she later identified as White, just walked up, pushed her out of the way, sat down behind the steering wheel, and then drove away in her car. Ms. Conner’s friend, Celeste Camphor, had been seated in the front passenger seat and, as the stranger was driving away, tried to put the gearshift located between the seats into reverse to stop the car. When she failed at that, she jumped out of the moving vehicle. Later, the car was located and retrieved off Indian Head Highway, close to the Livingston Square Mall. Both Ms. Camphor and Ms. Conner picked out White’s picture from a photo array and identified him in the courtroom at trial. The description that they gave the police on the night of the carjacking closely matched White’s appearance, and he was dressed in a white T-shirt and blue shorts when the security officers found him in the dumpster, the exact same clothing that Ms. Conner and Ms. Camphor, as well as Mrs. Murphy described White as wearing. The prosecution argued that White’s being in the Livingston Square Mall dumpster was an attempt to hide and that the injuries that he incurred and the paramedics treated him for came from the Thrift Road accident, not from any attack. The Grand Jury for Prince George’s County had charged White with robbery, kidnapping, battery, and carjacking. After the jury trial, White was acquitted of kidnapping, but was found guilty of the other charges.
I.
White’s first allegation of error is that the court failed to give his requested jury instruction regarding character evidence. It is fundamental that the court instruct the jury as to all the applicable law if either party requests the court to do [691] so. Md. Rule 4-325(c). To be entitled to any instruction, however, there must be at least some evidence to generate a need to address the issue. Dykes v. State, 319 Md. 206, 221, 571 A.2d 1251 (1990); Flores v. State, 120 Md.App. 171, 192-93, 706 A.2d 628 (1998); McKay v. State, 90 Md.App. 204, 214, 600 A.2d 904 (1992). The critical question here is whether White produced any evidence to generate the issue as to character.
The usual manner for a defendant to raise character as an issue is to call at least one witness who is familiar with particular traits, either because of knowledge of the defendant’s reputation or from personal observation. Maryland Rule 5-405 provides that a witness can testify as to reputation, relate specific instances of a person’s conduct, or simply give an opinion about a specific character trait. The Maryland General Assembly, many years ago, modified the common law, which restricted character evidence to testimony about reputation in the community. Section 9-115 of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article provides:
Where character evidence is otherwise relevant to the proceeding, no person offered as a character witness who has an adequate basis for forming an opinion as to another person’s character shall hereafter be excluded from giving evidence based on personal opinion to prove character, either in person or by deposition, in any suit, action or proceeding, civil or criminal, in any court or before any judge, or jury of the State.
The change now permits the admission of a broad range of testimony that the common law previously had prohibited and may aid the jury in assessing the credibility of a witness. Kelley v. State, 288 Md. 298, 302, 418 A.2d 217 (1980); Taylor v. State, 278 Md. 150, 154-55, 360 A.2d 430 (1976).
White did not call any witnesses to give their opinions as to his reputation for any character trait, to testify as to his reputation in the community, or to recite specific instances of good conduct. He did testify in his own behalf as the only [692] witness for the defense, and maintains that his testimony put his character in issue. Here is how that developed:
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Mr. White, since the age of 18, have you ever been convicted of a crime?
[DEFENDANT:] Yes, I have.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Could you explain to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury what crime you’ve been convicted of and when?
[DEFENDANT:] I been convicted of robbery during, like it was, like ’89. I been convicted of like two counts of robbery, and I guess robbery.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Have you been convicted of anything else?
[DEFENDANT:] No.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Did you serve any time in incarceration?
[DEFENDANT:] Holdup. Excuse me, yes, I’m also convicted of possession of drugs before.
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[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Mr. White, since then you’ve had an opportunity to get yourself together? [DEFENDANT:] Yes, sir.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Are you doing things now you weren’t doing before?
[DEFENDANT:] Yes.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Could you explain to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury what those things are? [ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] Objection, Your Honor.
THE COURT: What’s the relevance? '
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] What’s the relevance?
THE COURT: Yes.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] He’ll explain it.
THE COURT: To whether he’s guilty or innocent of this charge?
[693] [DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Fm just getting some background information on him. It’s strictly background information.
THE COURT: All right. I’ll let you ask this one question and then get to the business of the case.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] You since turned your life around, right?
[DEFENDANT:] Yes, I have.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] How long has it been since you turned your life around?
[DEFENDANT:] It’s been a while now.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] What’s that?
[DEFENDANT:] About a couple years now.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] What’s a couple years?
[DEFENDANT:] Like two years.
[ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] Objection, Your Honor.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] What are you doing now?
[DEFENDANT:] I’m an active member at my church. I volunteer at church.
[ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] Objection.
THE COURT: This is not a sentencing here. We’re here on whether or not he committed this crime.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] I’ll move on. We’re going to get to it.
THE COURT: I’m saying you want to ask relevant questions relevant to the matter that’s before us.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Your Honor, may we approach?
THE COURT: Yes.
(Discussion held at the bench.)
THE COURT: You’re getting into—
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] He had some things in his background that he needs to explain before we can move on with his testimony. What I’m simply trying to do is let him [694] explain those things that, the blemishes in his background, his criminal history and more.
THE COURT: Okay.
[ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] If Your Honor allows him to do so, he’s turning it into—
THE COURT: I see what he’s saying, though. If he hadn’t brought this out you would have, and he’s trying to— [ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] Now he’s getting into whether he goes to church and turning his life around. That’s not relevant to car jacking.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] This is a clarification of his background. You’re going to bring this out. Maybe what he’s crying about is I’m lessening the impact. This is trial strategy. People need to know whether — what he’s going on, he’s being charged with the same thing. He needs to be able to explain that. I just want him to show the ladies and gentlemen of the jury now he is a reformed individual. THE COURT: All right. Well, go ahead and make it as concise as possible.
(In open court.)
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] You were saying, Mr. White?
[DEFENDANT:] I volunteered different churches to clean their carpet for free of charge. I mean as far as dealing with my life and everything, you know, I had my problem in life and everything like that, but I believe that, you know, through the grace of God that everybody could change and no matter what you do, you know that God will forgive you. You know, some things you do, you know God will forgive you anything you do. And I truly changed my life and the way, as far as my thinking, you know, from when I was say 25, you know, 24 and younger than that, and it’s not easy, but, you know, it’s a struggle for me and I’m trying very hard and, you know, I believe that God is my strength, my shield.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] You also mentioned you had a bout with drugs?
[DEFENDANT:] Yes.
[695] [DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Did you ever straighten out that part of your life?
[DEFENDANT:] Yes, I did.
[ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] Objection, Your Honor.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] In what way?
THE COURT: Overruled.
[DEFENDANT:] Through the lord and also went into a program, Hadassa (sic) program before I went into one of those to straighten myself out also.
(Emphasis added.)
The question, then, is whether, through this testimony about himself, White put before the jury evidence that generated the issue of his character so as to entitle him, under Md. Rule 4-325, to have the jury instructed as to the applicable law that applies to character evidence.
The requested instruction would have informed the jury that evidence of good character may be considered in connection with other evidence to create a reasonable doubt as to guilt.1 It is clear from the record that White offered his testimony about his job, his church attendance, his volunteer services, and his drug rehabilitation for the purpose of background. He wanted that evidence before the jury to lessen the “sting” that he knew would result from the certain disclosure during cross-examination of his three prior convictions.
It is beyond question that it is within the court’s discretion to permit the introduction of background evidence. In Mayor and City of Baltimore v. Zell, 279 Md. 23, 367 A.2d 14 (1977), Judge Eldridge explained:
[696] It is a routine practice in trials for an attorney to ask his witness certain preliminary questions which may not be relevant to the issues being litigated, which may go beyond mere identification and which are designed to show that the witness will be somewhat credible or not biased in favor of the side calling him. For example, the educational background or professional status or employment position of a non-expert witness may be asked, or the witness’s lack of prior contact with the side who has called him may be brought out. These questions give the jury some knowledge of the individual and a more complete perspective in considering his testimony. Cf. Kelly v. Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny Co., 407 Pa. 415, 180 A.2d 39, 45 (1962).
We agree that such questions, within reasonable limits, serve the useful function of informing the jury about the witness, and therefore they may be allowed. The extent to which such questions are permitted must, in our view, remain in the sound discretion of the trial judge. In the absence of a clear abuse of discretion in a particular case, the action of the trial judge in permitting or not permitting them will be upheld. In the case before us, there was no abuse of discretion in allowing the defendants to bring out the fact that the witness whom they called had initially been employed in the matter by the other side.
Id. at 28, 367 A.2d 14 (footnote omitted).
Even had White not limited his use of the background testimony during his proffer, his testimony did not generate the character issue. If it were permissible to raise the issue in the extended preliminary questions and answers to improve the jury’s perspective, then all parties, in all cases, civil and criminal, would be entitled to do the following: first, to bring into evidence as “background” their own opinions about themselves and descriptions of their good deeds, real and imagined, and, then, have the court instruct and the jury consider the parties’ own personal opinions of- themselves and their accounts of good deeds in deciding the other issues. That is not the law. The permissible introduction of evidence from a witness or a defendant to show background is to give context [697] to the relevant and material testimony that will follow. Were background testimony to generate the issue of character, it would add little more than a diversion of the trial away from central issues.2 The character issue was not generated here and the court was correct in refusing to give any instruction about character.
II.
This brings us to the second issue — the allegation that the assistant state’s attorney, in his argument to the jury, on several occasions made improper remarks, and that the court abused its discretion by not admonishing the prosecutor in front of the jury.
During closing argument, the assistant state’s attorney, right after a few sentences apologizing for “confusion and delay,” made the following comments, which, as the record shows, were interrupted by objections:
[ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] As I told you yesterday, this is an important case. The defendant is a dangerous person—
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled. This is closing.
[698] [ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] He’s a dangerous person. He’s the type of person who takes the property of another by force and fear, and you heard that yesterday. You heard how it was accomplished. What I’m going to do is go through the facts the witnesses testified to and show you how we proved each and every element____
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY!] Objection, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Overruled.
The assistant state’s attorney then proceeded to discuss the individual counts in the indictment and explain the various elements and the evidence that supported conviction. Wfiien he came to the crime of kidnapping, the following transpired:
[ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] Kidnapping, kidnapping; the judge defined that for you, but basically it means confining or detaining Celeste Camphor against her will, using force to accomplish that, and moving Celeste Camphor from one place to another, and with the intent to carry Miss Camphor from one place to another. I will concede that it’s a close call. It’s your community. Are you going to go back and make the decision?
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled.
[ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] It’s an important case, and I hope that doesn’t get lost in the confusion and the delays that you’ve had to suffer through the last couple days. I submit to you that Mr. Ricky WTiite is a dangerous person. He’s the type of person that you read about in the papers, that you’re afraid of.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Objection, Your Honor. [ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] Going out at night—
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] Objection.
THE COURT: This is closing.
[DEFENSE ATTORNEY:] I understand.
[699] [ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY:] The kind of person who you’re looking behind you at the ATM