The department runs 179 playgrounds and play areas, 82 recreation centers and clubhouses, nine swimming pools, five golf courses, 151 tennis courts, 72 basketball courts, 59 soccer fields, numerous baseball diamonds, and other sports venues.

General Manager Phil Ginsburg oversees a staff of over 850 that includes gardeners, foresters, natural resource, pest management and nursery specialists, recreation and summer camp staff, lifeguards, park rangers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, metal shop/welders and painters from the historic headquarters inside McLaren Lodge at the east end of Golden Gate Park.

The Recreation & Parks Department is governed by a seven-member commission, who are also appointed by the mayor of San Francisco to four-year terms.

Concerns have been expressed by park advocates about the lack of diversity of opinion on the commission and in the department, due to the fact that all of the positions are appointed by the mayor of San Francisco.

Planted in 1871, the park covers 1,017 acres (412 ha) of land across the western edge of San Francisco.

Located in south-east San Francisco, the park is surrounded by the Excelsior, Crocker-Amazon, Visitacion Valley, Portola and University Mound neighborhoods.

The Zoo is owned by the Recreation & Parks Department and managed by its partner, non-profit San Francisco Zoological Society.

[20] Before becoming a camp the site was used by the construction workers who built the O'Shaughnessy Dam and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in the 1920s.

Although not law enforcement officers, part of their role is ensuring the safety and security on San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department properties.

SF Park Rangers observe and report incidents requiring law enforcement, fire department, and emergency medical response.

Furthermore, their duties and responsibilities include closing parking lot gates and locking/securing recreational centers, bathrooms, etc.

at night; opening parking lot gates and unlocking recreational centers, bathrooms, etc.

SF Park Rangers are not peace officers, therefore are not authorized to initiate any traffic enforcement stops, and may not pull over any vehicle for any violation regardless of the circumstances and location.

Additionally, there is no legal obligation to yield to any park ranger non-emergency vehicles with amber (yellow) flashing lights and/or white spotlight.

Like all other security officers, upon observation of a crime in the presence of the park ranger, the park ranger may apprehend the suspect engaging in specific crimes and temporarily hold the suspect on the scene for law enforcement officers to handle.

When encountering criminal activity, SF Park Rangers will observe and report the incident to SFPD Dispatch.

At times, SF Park Rangers utilize a public announcement (PA) speaker and air horn installed on their city vehicles to communicate with the public on San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department properties.