ATLANTA – The NBA will set new security guidelines for its arenas, exerting more authority over a matter previously left to individual teams, Commissioner David Stern said yesterday. Stern said the November 19 Pacers-Pistons brawl that spilled into the stands and led to three Indiana players being suspended for 25 or more games – including the season-long penalty for Ron Artest – exposed current policies as inadequate.

“I would say that’s a whole subject that we have historically left to teams, and it’s clear that’s not going to be good enough anymore, so we’re going to take another look at it,” Stern said in his first public comments on the brawl since announcing the suspensions.

Stern said the new guidelines will be issued in early January. Stern offered no specifics on the new security guidelines, but said concerns raised by the brawl had been a secondary issue in recent years.

“Actually the area of most concern for us was protecting our building from terrorist threats,” he said.

Stern also said he did not think the brawl, suspensions, or appeal would affect the tone of the upcoming NBA labor negotiations.

“I doubt it. I don’t think so,” he said. “I think that most players will realize that this action was taken to protect the golden goose and to protect their images, rather than to sully them. I would suggest that dealing harshly with players who breach fundamental tenets of player-fan interaction is designed to protect our players as well as our fans.”

Artest bolted into the stands in Auburn Hills, Mich., after being hit by a cup thrown by a fan, touching off a brawl in which players exchanged punches with fans, who also threw drinks, popcorn and other debris at the Indiana players. Stephen Jackson also went into the stands and exchanged punches with fans, while Jermaine O’Neal hit a fan who ran onto the court.

Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca told The Detroit News yesterday that the players will face criminal charges for their actions.

“Whoever was involved in fisticuffs will be charged, regardless if they were wearing a jersey. It’s obvious there were several Pacer players and fans that dealt blows,” Gorcyca said.

The prosecutor declined to say which players would be charged or what the charges might be.